What did Jesus really say?

Chapter 10: The life of
Muhammad

"Verily! this
Qur'an guides unto that which is straightest, and gives glad
tidings unto the believers who do good works that theirs
will be a magnificent reward."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Isra(17):9

Note: The main sources of the following information were
the books "Al-Seerah al-Nabawiyya" by Ibn Hisham,
and "Al-Seerah al-Nabawiyya" by Abu-AlHasan Al-Nadwi.
Other sources were used as well.

The lands surrounding the Arabian
peninsula:

In the sixth century AD, at the time of the birth of
Muhammad (pbuh), the Arabian Peninsula was surrounded by a
number of great empires. These empires were in a state of
constant conflict, waging wars and claiming territories. The
boarders of nations were constantly being redrawn, and at
times whole nations would crumble under the advancing forces
of a more vicious and powerful neighbor. However, in an age
when the people of all of these nations had become
accustomed to countless rulers, conquerors, philosophies,
and religions, throughout all of this, Allah Almighty saw
fit to protect the Arabian peninsula from these forces and
allow it's inhabitants to roam free, with great pride in
their freedom, never bowing to man-gods or rulers who
claimed to be "incarnations" of mythological gods such as
had become the fate of the Persians, the Romans, the Hindus,
and many other nations surrounding them. Although steeped in
paganism and idol worship, theirs was a simplistic and very
basic sort of paganism as compared to the infinitely more
complex and multifaceted paganism of the multi-cultured
nations surrounding them, their religious philosophies, and
their untold rituals.

The situation the Roman empire has been dealt with in
some detail in previous chapters, so it will only be dealt
with very briefly here (see chapters 1-3).

The Roman empire

The situation the Roman empire was far from enviable. The
Byzantine Empire (the eastern part of the later Roman
Empire), became a land of crippling taxation and rampant
bribery. The citizens had become so frustrated with their
miserable condition that civil unrest and rioting became
commonplace. In the year 532C.E., during the rule of Justin
I, only one single such riot resulted in the death of over
thirty thousand citizens in the capital of
Costantinople.

During this period, the amassing of material wealth and
money by any means possible became a virtual obsession. The
religious elite had become severely intolerant of
unconformance to their beliefs and this resulted in massive
bloodshed and campaigns of persecution. The rulers immersed
themselves in all manner of luxury and indulgence, caring
little what the cost of their entertainment might happen to
be upon the citizens. Recreation and amusement consisted of
blood sports of the utmost viciousness. Up to 80,000 people
at a time would attend these events in huge coliseums in
order to amuse themselves watching battles to the death at
times between men and men, or at others between men and
lions or other man-eating carnivores.

Egypt supplied both the grain that fed Rome and much of
the government's revenue. The empire sucked this lush and
fertile farm land dry under crippling taxation, tyrannical
rule, and religious persecution in order to maintain the
extravagant lifestyles of the elite ruling class. This sad
state of affairs was no better in Syria which was ruled with
an iron fist resulting in taxation so severs that the
citizens found no recourse but to sell their children into
slavery in order to pay their taxes.

Map 1 Middle-eastern region during sixth century
C.E.

The Iranian empire

Zoroastrianism was the official religion of the Sassanian
empire during this period as it had been the faith of the
Persian kings since it was founded in the seventh century BC
by Zoroaster (or Zarathusthra). In ancient Iran, two groups
of gods were worshipped, the Ahuras and the Daevas. The
message of Zoroaster was that Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord of
light, was the sole creator and lord of the world and that
the worship of the Daevas was the worship of darkness and
evil. Other ancient mythological gods were later revived
throughout this land, the most noteworthy of them being
Mithra (associated with the sun), and Anahita (associated
with water and fertility) in addition to Ahura Mazda and his
evil adversary Ahriman. The sacred literature of
Zoroastrianism is found in the Avesta, only a small portion
of which remains today.

The followers of this religion were required to worship
the sun four times a day in addition to the worship of the
moon, fire and water. A complex collection of rituals and
practices were associated with these gods. This religion was
modified later by such as Mani (Manes), c.216-c.276 who
called for monasticism and celibacy, and Mazdak (fifth
century AD), who called for a socialistic group ownership of
both money and women. People would enter into one another's
homes, lay claim to their property and wealth and take
liberties with their women. Unemployment and disenchantment
prevailed, and the citizens were utilized by their rulers as
cheap fodder for their armies. In their desperate search for
a meaning for their pitiful existence these citizens
experimented with every conceivable philosophy from
Eicureanism to monasticism and everything in-between. All of
this eventually lead to the development of vast rifts
between the different levels of this society.

During this period, bandits would sack the palaces of the
rich, pillage and loot them and lay claim to the women.
These new land owner's ignorance in matters of farming
eventually lead to the ruin of the farm land. So
disenchanted did the people become with the tyranny and
abuse of their rulers that it later lead to a popular revolt
by the farmers.

The rulers of this empire ascended the throne of their
fathers through inheritance, ruling with an iron hand,
crippling taxation, and the theory that this ruler was a
god, the descendant of gods. This ruler would surround
himself with all manner of rare and precious possessions
including gold, rare animals, precious jewelry, fine
clothing, exquisite furniture, imperial palaces, endless
slaves, and delicate cuisine. Their life was indeed the
stuff that fairytales were made of, and it has been recorded
that when this regime finally fell before the Islamic
empire, their ruler Yazdegird III (r. 632-51) fled his land
with one thousand cooks, one thousand musicians, one
thousand trainers for his tigers, one thousand hawk
trainers, and other members of his royal staff, all the
while considering himself to be in a very miserable and
pitiful state of affairs.

India

In ancient times, this land had been the birthplace of
many great advances in mathematics, astronomy, medicine,
philosophy, and many other disciplines. However, over the
centuries, a steady decline in moral values and religious
knowledge eventually lead in the sixth century C.E. to what
many historians consider to be it's lowest state of
decline.

During this period nakedness became commonplace even in
the temples. Women became public property and changed hands
through gambling. If a woman's husband were to die her
existence would lose all meaning and remarriage was
prohibited for her for the rest of her existence. Higher
levels of society developed the ritual of "Seti" which
required a widow of a nobleman to burn herself to death as a
sign of faithfulness to her deceased husband.

The Aryan invaders and Brahmans developed
a four-level classification for society called the Caste
system, it consisted of:

1) The religious elite, or priests, called the
"Brahmins". They were considered superior to all others and
sinless.

2) The Ksatriyas, or warriors and rulers;

3) The Vaisyas, or merchants and farmers;

4) The Sudras, or peasants and laborers.

There was also a fifth class called "Panchamas", or
Untouchables. They include those whose occupations require
them to handle unclean objects. It is speculated that the
Untouchables were originally assigned such lowly tasks
because of their non-Aryan origins. The law stated that if
an untouchable stretched out his hand or his stick against a
Brahman then his hand would be chopped off. And if he kicked
a Brahman then his leg would be severed. And if an
Untouchable claimed to teach a Brahman then he would be made
to drink boiling oil. Under their law the punishment for the
killing of an untouchable was equal to that of the killing
of a frog, a crow, an owl, a cat, or a dog. The Untouchables
were also forced to live outside the city.

The Sudras were considered to have been created from the
feet of the creator of the heavens and their purpose in life
was to serve the higher classes. They were not allowed to
own money, sit with a Brahman, touch him with their hand, or
read the sacred books.

The original religion of India was Hinduism. However,
with time a more general state religion was created
incorporating Buddhism and other faiths as well as Hinduism.
So deeply engrained into this society did polytheism become
that it is recorded that by the sixth century C.E. the
inhabitants of this land had adopted over 330 million gods
(L.S.S. O'Malley, Popular Hinduism, the Religion of the
Masses, Cambridge, 1935, pp. 6-7). During this era, anything
grand, or anything wonderful, or anything useful was
worshipped as a god.

The Arabian Peninsula

The Arabs during this century has sunk to a very low
state. They became obsessed with intoxicants, gambling, and
idol worship. Girls became such a disgraceful commodity
among them that they would bury their infant girls alive for
fear of disgrace.

Women in this society became a commodity that was
inherited by her husband's heirs just as they would inherit
his money or livestock. Men could marry an unlimited number
of women, and would sometimes kill their own children if
they feared they would cause them poverty. The men would
further designate specific foods that were for their
personal consumption and prohibited upon their wives or
children.

Slavery and treachery were rampant throughout the land.
Tribal feudalism became commonplace, and great battles would
be waged over the outcome of a horse race or other trivial
matters. Over the centuries, the house that Prophet Abraham
and his son Ishmael had built in Makkah (the Kaaba) was
taken by these people as home for their idols and their
pagan worship. By the time Muhammad (pbuh) came, 360 idols
had been fashioned and placed inside and around the Kaaba,
and the surrounding tribes had distorted the pilgrimage
first instituted by prophet Abraham into a pagan ritual of
running naked around these idols while whistling and
clapping. The pagans of Arabia continued to believe in God,
however, they regarded Him as the "supreme" god and felt it
necessary to set up "intermediary" gods (idols) who would
"intercede" with God/Allah for them.

The Birth of Muhammad (pbuh):

Muhammad (pbuh) was born on Monday the 12th of the month
of "Rabi-AlAwwal" "The Year of the Elephant" ("A'am al-Feel"
in Arabic) which corresponds roughly to April 20, 571. The
reason it was given this name was because it was the year
when Abraha Al-Ashram, the local governor of the Ethiopian
protectorate of al-Yemen, mounted his elephant and lead his
army in an attempt to storm Makkah and destroy the
Kaaba.

Muhammad's father's name was Abdullah and his mother's
name was Amina the Daughter of Wahab. His full name was
Muhammad the son of Abdullah the son of AbdulMuttalib the
son of Hashim the son of AbdulManaf the son of Kusai the son
of Kilab the son of Murrah the son of Kaab the son of Luai
the son of Ghalib the son of Fihir the son of Malik the son
of Al-Nadhar the son of Knana the son of Khuzaima the son of
Mdraka the son of Ilias the son of Mudir the son of Nizar
the son of Ma'ad the son of Adnan. The ancestry of Adnan
goes back to Ishmael the son of Prophet Abraham (pbut).
Muhammad's grandfather, AbdulMuttalib, was the leader of the
tribe of Quraish, the noblest of the tribes of the region,
and his mother was a woman of prominent nobility and
ancestry in the same tribe.

Muhammad's father, Abdullah, died before he was born and
never saw him. Just before his birth, Muhammad's mother
Amina had a dream wherein she saw a light issuing forth from
her and illuminating the palaces of Basra. As was the custom
in that day, upon his birth Muhammad's mother Amina sent him
to live the first years of his life in the desert in order
to learn the pure uncorrupted classical Arabic and to
breathe the fresh desert air far from the boundaries of the
city of Makkah. For the first two years of his life he
nursed from Halima Al-Saadia. At the end of the two year
term Halima asked his mother to allow him to remain with her
a while longer and she consented.

Muhammad's (pbuh) mother Amina died when he was six years
old and was followed shortly thereafter by his grandfather
AbdulMuttalib when he was eight years old. At this point, he
went to live with his uncle AbuTalib and his three cousins
Ali, Jaafar, and Akeel. Under the guidance of his uncle he
learned to be a sheepherder and a tradesman. As he grew up
he earned a reputation for honesty, fairness, humbleness,
and integrity. It was not long before the people of Quraish
gave him the nickname of "Al-Ameen" ("The Trustworthy").

When Muhammad (pbuh) was about sixteen years old he
entered into the employ of Khadeejah the daughter of
Khuwailid, a widow, a prominent businesswomen, and one of
the nobles of Quraish. Upon reaching the age of twenty five,
he married her. It is estimated that she was approximately
forty years old when he married her. She became the mother
of all of his children except Ibraheem. Their children were
Al-Qasim, Al-Tahir, Al-Tayyib, Zainab, Rukayyah,
Um-Kalthoom, and Fatima. After the death of Khadeejah,
Muhammad married Maria the Coptic who gave birth to his last
child, Ibraheem.

One of the first signs of Muhammad's wisdom and diplomacy
came when he was thirty five years old. The tribes of
Quraish found it necessary to rebuild the Kaaba in order to
prevent it from collapse. When they got to the point in the
construction when it was necessary to insert the "Black
Stone", the tribes began to contend with one another for the
honor of placing the stone in it's place. This continued for
a number of days until the situation became extremely
volatile. Blood pacts were consummated between the various
tribes to fight to the death and all-out war was on the
verge of breaking out between them over this matter. At this
point they came to a peaceful compromise. They agreed that
the first person to enter the door of the holy mosque shall
choose the one who shall receive this honor and they shall
all abide by his judgment.

As it happened, the first person to enter the holy mosque
was Muhammad (pbuh). Upon seeing him the tribes all breathed
a sigh of relief and proclaimed: "It is Al-Ameen (The
trustworthy), we accept him! It is Muhammad!."

Muhammad called for a garment, laid it upon the ground,
and then placed the stone in the middle of it. He then asked
all of the tribes to select a single representative from
their tribe who was then asked to grasp an edge of the
garment. All of the chosen representatives then carried the
stone together to the Kaaba. When they reached it Muhammad
(pbuh) rolled it in place.

The Beginning of the Prophethood:

It is narrated that the first signs of Muhammad's
prophethood was a series of visions he would receive at
night which would then come true exactly as he had
envisioned them.

Fig. 9 The cave of Hira where Muhammad first became
the prophet of Islam.

The story of the first visit of the angel Gabriel to
Muhammad (pbuh) has been narrated in detail in section 6.2.
Immediately after receiving this visit, Muhammad (pbuh) ran
back home to his wife, trembling and in a state of terror
crying "Cover me! Cover me!".

When he had had a chance to calm down, Khadeejah asked
him what had happened and he told her the whole story.
Muhammad's wife Khadeejah was very well acquainted with his
character and when this story was narrated to her and she
saw the terror in his eyes she said: "No, by Allah! God
shall not disgrace you. You do good by your kin, carry the
burdens of others, give to the needy, aid the weak, and
assist in all good things." However, as she did not know
exactly what to make of this matter, she decided to ask the
advice of her Christian cousin, Waraka the son of
Nawfal.

When Waraka heard what had happened he said: "By Him
in who's hands my soul rests, you are the prophet of this
nation, and the one who visited you is none other than the
chief of the angels who visited Moses. Verily, your people
shall call you a liar, abuse you, expel you, and wage war
against you."

When Muhammad (pbuh) heard these words he was bewildered,
for he knew of his noble standing with his people, their
great respect and admiration for him, and how they called
him "The Truthful, the Trustworthy," so he asked Waraka:
"Will they expel me?." Waraka replied "Yes! Never
has there come a man before you with similar to that which
you have come with except his people fought him and waged
war against him. If I were to live to that day, I shall
stand by you and assist you mightily." However, Waraka
died shortly thereafter.

The first people to believe in Muhammad (pbuh) were his
closest of kin and some of his close friends. Among them
were his wife Khadeejah, his cousin Ali ibn Abi-Talib, his
close friend Abu Bakr Al-Siddik, and his adopted son Zaid
ibn Haritha, as well as many of the poor and weak such as
Bilal the Ethiopian, and Abdullah ibn Masood, among others.
Some of those who accepted Muhammad's call were nobles and
leaders in the tribe of Quraish, such as Uthman ibn Affan,
Abdulrahman ibn Auf, Saad ibn Abi-Wakkas, and Talha ibn
Ubaidallah. However, Muhammad's call to Islam continued in
secret for a period of three years at which point the
following verse was revealed to him:

"Therefore expound openly that which you are
commanded, and be heedless of those who associate partners
with God."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Hijir(15):94

Upon receiving this command, Muhammad (pbuh) climbed to
the top of the hill of Al-Safa and shouted at the top of his
lungs: "Ya sabaha!." This call was well known to be a
call of dire distress and impending peril. It was usually
reserved to warn of a siege by a hostile army.

Immediately the citizens clamored around him to learn
what alarming news he had to reveal to them. When they had
assembled around him he proclaimed:

"O children of Abdul-Muttalib, O children of Fihr, O
children of Kaab, if I were to warn you that at the bottom
of this hill are horses [of war] about to attack
you, would you believe me? ."

The people replied: "Yes!."

Then Muhammad said: "Then [be notified that] I
am a warner, before me is a terrible punishment."

Everyone fell silent and did not know what to say until
one of the nobles, Muhammad's uncle Abu Lahab, blurted out:
"Damn you the rest of the day! Is this why you assembled
us?"

From that day forward, Muhammad (pbuh) called to Islam
openly and without fear. With time, more and more people
began to accept this call and became Muslims. Most of them,
however, were of the poor, the weak, and the destitute of
Quraish. In the beginning, the nobles did not pay him much
heed until they learned that he was deriding their idols.
This is when their animosity and their campaign of
retribution began.

At first, the nobles tried to convince Muhammad's
followers that he was a lunatic or a magician. However, when
this method did not succeed they resorted to physical abuse
and torture. Those of them who had no clan to protect them
were subjected to the worst of this torture. Many were
whipped, stoned, beaten, starved and burned. The nobles took
great pains to come up with new and innovative ways to
torture them. Among these was the method employed by Umayya
against his slave Bilal the Ethiopian. He would take him out
to the desert at the hottest time of day, lay him on his
back under the scorching sun, then order that a large
boulder be rolled onto his stomach. All the while Bilal
remained resolute, repeating: "[God is] one,
[God is] one."

At the same time, the tribe of Makhzoom would take the
family of Yasir, the father the mother and the son, out to
the desert during the midday heat and torture them severely.
While this was going on, Muhammad (pbuh) would pass by them
and say: "Have patience family of Yasir. Your appointment
is with heaven."

Khabbab ibn Al-Art narrated that: "They used to take
me out, light a fire, and then roast me over it. A man then
came and placed his foot on my chest extinguishing the fire
with my back."

It was well known in the Arabian peninsula that one does
not attack or abuse members of a strong clan or tribe for
fear that that tribe might seek retribution. Those who did
not belong to such a tribe would enter into a pact of
protection with a noble of a strong clan or tribe. In such a
manner people would protect their families and wealth from
the aggression of their neighbors.

When Quraish first began it's campaign of persecution of
Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions many of them sought
protection by allying themselves with non-Muslims in this
manner. For example, Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq had allied himself
with ibn Al-Daghnah, and Uthman ibn Madhgoon allied himself
with Al-Waleed ibn al-Mugeerah. Muhammad (pbuh) himself was
under the protection of his uncle Abu-Talib. This protection
by no means protected them from all abuse, however, it did
afford them a measure of protection against the severest
torture or murder. It is worth mentioning though that both
Abu-Bakr and Uthman both felt such protection by non-Muslims
inappropriate and later renounced that protection in favor
of the protection of Allah Almighty.

Because of the continuous and unrelenting persecution of
Quraish towards the Muslims, it was next to impossible for
any among them to publicly declare his acceptance of the
faith much less call others to Islam. One day the companions
of Muhammad (pbuh) gathered together and said to one another
"By Allah, Quraish has yet to hear this Qur'an recited to
them out loud, so who among you shall recite it to them?"
Abdullah the son of Masood volunteered: "I shall do it."
They objected: "We are afraid that they might attack you, we
want someone who has a strong tribe or clan to protect him
if they decide to harm him." Abdullah replied: "Let me be
the one, God shall protect me."

At day break, Abdullah set out to their gathering place
next to the Kaaba and in a loud voice he began to recite the
Qur'an. He read:

"In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most
Merciful. The Most Compassionate! [He] has taught
the Qur'an. He created man. He taught him eloquent speech
..."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Rahman(55):1-4

As Abdullah continued to recite the Qur'an the nobles of
Quraish asked one another "What is he saying?" Then one of
them said "He is reading part of that which Muhammad has
brought!" So they all sprang up and began to strike him
about his face, all the while he continued to recite this
chapter to them until he felt that they had heard
enough.

When Abdullah returned to the Muslims and they saw the
marks which the beating had left on his face they said:
"This is what we feared would happen to you." Abdullah
replied: "The enemies of Allah have never been more impotent
against me than they were today, and if you wish I shall
return and recite before them it's equivalent tomorrow!"
They responded: "No, that is enough. You have spoken to them
words which they hate [to hear]"

However, if this was the situation of the followers of
Muhammad (pbuh) then how was Muhammad himself treated by
these people?

The nobles of Quraish consolidated all of their resources
in an effort to stamp out Muhammad's message. They told
everyone he was a liar, a magician, a poet, and a lunatic.
They sat in the streets and did their utmost to terrify the
people of Muhammad and bar them from speaking to him. They
tortured his friends and did their best to constantly abuse
him. They would throw thorns and sharp objects in his path,
dump camel entrails on his head while he prayed to God,
curse and swear at him whenever they saw him, starve him and
his companions, and even attempted to kill him. With time
the nobles of Quraish even chose to change Muhammad's name
from Muhammad (the praised one) to Muthammam (The reviled
one). Thus, whenever they would speak of him they would say:
"Cursed be the reviled one" etc. For this reason, Muhammad
(pbuh) used to say to his Companions: "Do you not marvel
at how Allah has even deflected their curses from me? They
curse Muthammam and I am Muhammad"

When this continued for a long while the nobles of
Quraish went to Muhammad's uncle Abu-Talib and attempted to
bribe him to renounce his protection of Muhammad (pbuh).
When this did not succeed, they went to Muhammad directly
and attempted to bribe him with wealth, leadership,
nobility, and to appoint him as their leader if he would but
renounce his message. He refused.

When the torture of Quraish became unbearable, Muhammad
(pbuh) authorized his companions to emigrate to Ethiopia
(Abyssinia). At this point eighty three Muslims fled Makkah
and traveled to Ethiopia. When Quraish received news of
their emigration they sent a delegation to Negus
(Al-Najashi) the Christian king of Ethiopia with many gifts
in the hope that they might persuade him to return the
emigrants to them. A famous exchange occurred between the
three parties with the outcome being the refusal of the king
to deliver the Muslims back into the hands of Quraish. This
could be deemed the first strategic victory of the Muslims
against their persecutors, so let us hear this story.

When the nobles of Quraish saw that the Muslims had found
a reprieve from their torture and abuse in Abyssinia and
that they were allowed to practice their religion freely
there, these nobles decided to send a delegation to the King
of Abyssinia consisting of Abdullah the son of Rabia and Amr
the son of Al-Aas, and with them they sent many gifts for
the king and his generals.

When this delegation arrived in Abyssinia, they first
presented their gifts to the king's generals and received
passage to speak to the king. When they stood before the
king they said:

"There has come to your land a scrapping lot of our
most ignorant juveniles. They have departed from the
religion of their fathers and have not accepted your
religion, rather, they have invented a completely new
religion which neither we nor you have heard of before. The
nobles among their people, their fathers, their uncles, and
their clan have sent to you to return them to them, for they
are best acquainted with them and closer in bond to
them." The king's officers then spoke up saying:
"They have spoken the truth O king so let us return them
to their people."

Upon hearing this the king became very angry and refused
to accept their words or to return those who had sought
sanctuary with him to this delegation. He then commanded
that the Muslims be assembled before him as well as his
Bishops. When they had all assembled before him he asked the
Muslims:

"What is this religion which has caused you to
relinquish the religion of your fathers and not to accept
our religion nor any of these other faiths?" Ja'far the
son of Abu-Talib, the cousin of Muhammad (pbuh) then arose
and said: "O King of Abyssinia, We used to be a people of
ignorance, worshipping idols, eating dead animals,
performing indecencies, casting off family bonds, doing evil
to our neighbors, and the strong among us would eat the
weak. This remained our common trait until God sent to us a
messenger. We knew his ancestry, his truthfulness, his
trustworthiness, and his chastity. He called us to Allah
that we might worship Him alone and forsake all that which
we had been worshipping other than Him of these stones and
idols. He commanded us to be truthful in speech, to keep our
trusts, to strengthen our family bonds, to be good to our
neighbors, to avoid the prohibitions and blood, and to avoid
all indecencies, lying, theft of the orphan's money, and the
slander of chaste women. He further commanded us to worship
Allah alone, not associating anything in worship with Him.
He commanded us to pray, pay charity, and fast (and he
listed for him the requirements of Islam). So we believed
him, accepted his message, and followed him in that which he
received from Allah, worshipping Allah alone, not
associating any partners with Him, refraining from all
prohibitions, and accepting all that which was made
permissible for us. For this our people greeted us with
animosity and vindication. They tortured us and persecuted
us in our religion in the hope that they might turn us from
the worship of Allah to the worship of idols, and that we
might accept that which we had accepted of old of our evil
deeds. So when they overcame us, dealt unjustly with us,
restricted us, and bared us from our religion, we fled to
your land and chose you above all others, hoping for your
sanctuary, and hoping that we would not fear injustice in
your presence. "

The King listened to Ja'far's words patiently and quietly
then he said: "Do you have with you any of that which
your companion has brought to you?" Ja'far replied
"Yes." The King said: "Then recite it before me."
So Ja'far recited to him the verses of the chapter of Maryam
(chapter 19). It reads:

"Kaf, Ha, Ya, Ain, Saad. [This is a] recital
of the mercy of your Lord to His slave Zachariah. When he
called unto his Lord a call in secret. Saying: 'My Lord,
indeed my bones have grown feeble, and my head glistens with
gray hair, and I have never been unblessed in my
supplication unto you my Lord. And verily, I fear
[what] my relatives [shall do] after me, and
my wife is barren, so grant me from Yourself an heir. Who
shall inherit me, and inherit from the family of Jacob, and
make him O Lord one in whom You are well pleased.'
[Allah said:] O Zachariah! Verily We give you glad
tidings of a son whose name is Yahya(John). We have granted
this name to none before him. He said: 'My Lord, whence can
I have a son when my wife is barren, and I have grown quite
decrepit in old age?' He said: 'So has your Lord said. It is
trivial upon Me. [Indeed,] I had created you
previously when you were nothing..."

(For the rest of this chapter please obtain one of the
acceptable English translations of the Qur'an as outlined in
the book list at the end of this book)

When the king heard these verses he wept till he soaked
his beard, and with him his Bishops also wept. The king then
said: "Verily, this and that which was brought by Jesus
have indeed come from the same burning light." He then
turned to the emissaries of Quraish and said to them:
"Return to your people, for I shall never deliver them to
you"

Then next morning, Amr the son of Al-Aas returned to the
king and said: "They say a most monstrous thing regarding
Jesus the son of Mary." At this the king summoned the
Muslims again and asked them: "What do you have to say
regarding Jesus the son of Mary?"

Ja'far the son of Abu-Talib replied: "We say in his
regard that which our prophet says: That he was the servant
of God and his messenger, a spirit from Him, and His Word
which He bestowed upon Mary the chaste, the pure."

Upon hearing this the king struck the ground with his
hand and lifted up a stick. He then said "Verily, Jesus
the son of Mary did not surpass what you have just said even
so much as this stick." The king granted the Muslims
sanctuary and the emissaries of Quraish returned with empty
hands.

This king of Ethiopia later passed away during the
lifetime of Muhammad (pbuh). When Muhammad learned of his
death, he commanded the Muslims to assemble for a
congregational "prayer upon the deceased" (funeral prayers)
on the king's behalf.

While all of this was going on in Ethiopia, Muhammad
(pbuh) and his companions who had chosen to remain behind in
Makkah continued to endure the punishment and torture of
Quraish. However, their numbers continued to increase with
every passing day in spite of the best efforts of Quraish.
Many of those who converted to Islam were nobles among them
such as Umar ibn al-Khattab.

In the seventh year of Muhammad's (pbuh) message, the
nobles of Quraish became desperate to stop the growth of
Islam in their city, so they all met together and wrote the
"Sanction of Hashim and Banu Muttalib." In this pact, the
nobles all agreed to neither buy the goods of the sons of
Hashim and Banu Muttalib (the tribe of Muhammad), nor to
sell to them. They further agreed not to marry from them nor
to allow them to marry from their tribes. This document was
then hung inside the Kaaba. This sanction continued for
three years. During this period, the children of Hashim and
AbdulMuttalib suffered severely until they were reduced to
eating the leaves off of the trees. They could neither buy
nor sell goods from Quraish and Quraish prevented all other
merchants from dealing with them except at exorbitantly high
prices.

Although the Arabs of this time period had become steeped
in many evil traits, nevertheless, they were also known for
a number of good ones as well. Among these was a limited
sense of honor and justice prevalent among many of them. It
was this trait which finally drove a number of people of
Quraish, among them Amr ibn Rabeea, to collect a number of
like-minded people in order to pressure the nobles who had
signed the sanction into nullify it. When the people then
rose to tear up the document they found that the insects had
eaten it except for the following words at it's top: "In
your name O Lord..."

In the tenth year of the message, Muhammad's uncle
Abu-Talib and his wife Khadeejah both died With their death
the abuse of Quraish multiplied greatly. Of those few people
who were allowed to hear the Qur'an many became Muslims.
However, the continuous and unrelenting torture of Quraish
towards the Muslims drove Muhammad (pbuh) to seek an ally
for them to protect them against Quraish and allow the
people to hear the message of Islam. So he traveled to
Al-Taif* in search of the protection of the tribe
of Thaqeef and with the hope that they might accept his
message. He presented his message to Ibn Abd-Yalayl ibn Abdu
Kulal and the nobles of Al-Taif. They, however, met him with
curses and abuse. They then roused the citizens and enflamed
their passions against him till they stoned him out of their
city and he fled from them into a farm belonging to Utba and
Shaiba the sons of Rabeea. These two watched him from a
distance as he sat below one of their grape arbors and
supplicated to Allah.

When Muhammad (pbuh) saw that the people of Thaqeef had
left him alone and returned to their daily lives, with a
heavy heart he lifted his hands towards the heavens and
prayed:

"O my Lord, unto you I bewail my weakness, inability,
and disregard of mankind towards me. O Most Merciful of the
merciful, you are the Lord of the weak and my Lord. Unto
whom shall you deliver me?. Unto one who is distant and
shall glower at me, or unto an enemy whom you have given
authority over me? If you are not angry against me then I do
not care [what befalls me], but your [gifts
of] well being are more commodious for me. I seek refuge
in the light of your face that has overcome all darkness,
and through which all matters of this life and the hereafter
have been established in justice, that your retribution
should fall upon me, or your disdain should befall me. Unto
you is [all] appeasement until you are appeased, and
no one has power or ability except in You"

As Utba and Shaiba watched Muhammad (pbuh) they felt pity
on him and sent to him their slave boy, Addas, to collect a
bowl of grapes and take it to him. Addas collected the
grapes and took them to Muhammad placing them in his hand.
He then said: "Eat." As Muhammad was about to eat he began
with the words "In the name of Allah" (which all
Muslims say before eating or drinking). Addas was a
Christian and when he heard these words he said to Muhammad
"Verily, these are not the words of the people of this
land." Muhammad asked him from which land he came and Addas
replied "From 'Ninwa'." Muhammad said: "From the land of
the pious man Jonah the son of Amittai." Addas marveled:
"And how do you know Jonah the son of Amittai?" Muhammad
(pbuh) responded: "He is my brother. He was a messenger
and I am a messenger" Upon hearing these words Addas
took to kissing the hands, head and feet of prophet
Muhammad

When Urwa and Shaiba saw this they said to one another:
"Verily, he has quite corrupted our slave boy." When Addas
returned to them they said to him: "Fie upon you Addas! Why
did you kiss the man's head, hands and feet?" Addas replied:
"O masters, there is nothing in this earth better than this
matter. He has told me of a matter which is only known to a
messenger" They rebuked him saying: "Fie unto you Addas! Do
not allow him to divert you from your religion. Your
religion is far better than his!"

Muhammad (pbuh) then departed and returned home
practically overwhelmed with excessive sorrow. On his way
home he stopped in Qarn ath-Tha'alib, as he looked up, he
saw a cloud shadowing him and he saw angel Gabriel in it.
Angel Gabriel then addressed him saying: "Allah has heard
what your people said to you, and how they have replied to
you. Allah has sent the Angel of the Mountains to you so
that you may order him to do whatever you wish to these
people." The Angel of the Mountains then called out
greeting him and then said, "O Muhammad! Order what you
wish. If you like, I shall cause al-Akhshabayn (two
mountains surrounding Al-Taif) to fall upon them." The
Prophet (pbuh), replied "No, for I hope that there shall
be among their children those who will worship Allah alone,
and will worship none besides Him." He then returned to
Makkah and to the abuse of it's people.

Shortly thereafter, Allah Almighty sent for Muhammad
(pbuh) who was taken to the "Furthest Mosque" ('Temple
mount' in Palestine) and then up into the heavens where he
met the prophets of God, saw many of the signs of God, and
then the five prescribed daily prayers were prescribed upon
him and all Muslims. All of this happened in one night which
was later called the night of "Israa and Miraj" (travel by
night and ascension).

Muhammad (pbuh) continued to call the surrounding tribes
to Islam and to the aid of the Muslims at every possible
opportunity. During the trading season when the surrounding
tribes would all convene in Makkah, Muhammad (pbuh) would go
out, speak to them and encourage them to accept Islam. All
the while his uncle, Abu-Lahab, would follow him around.
Whenever he spoke to a tribe or invited them to Islam,
Abu-Lahab would stand in his way and do his best to dissuade
them.

When Muhammad (pbuh) would speak to one of these tribes,
he would tell them that he was the messenger of God and that
he had been sent to guide them out of their ignorance and
out of the worship of idols into the light of God and the
worship of one single God, the Creator and Sustainer of all
creation. He would then recite to them the Qur'an and
encourage them to accept Islam. One of the tribes who
eventually met Muhammad in this manner was the tribe of
Al-Kazraj of the city of Al-Madinah Al-Munawara (called
Yethrib at that time). When they heard Muhammad's claims
they began to remember the prophesies of the Jews in their
city and how the Jews were continually threatening them with
the impending arrival of their "final prophet" who would
lead them to a great victory over them and establish the
kingdom of God on earth.

When they heard the words of Muhammad (pbuh) and the
Qur'an they began to say among themselves: "This is
indeed the prophet that the Jews have been threatening you
with, so do not allow them to beat you to him." So they
believed in him and accepted his message. Most of the Jews,
on the other hand rejected Muhammad For this reason, we read
in the Qur'an

"And when there came to them (the Jews) a Book from
God, confirming that which is with them,- although before
that they were praying for victory against those who
disbelieved,- so when there came to them that which they
recognized, they refused to believe in it. So [let]
the curse of Allah [fall] on those who disbelieve."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Baqarah(2):89

The citizens of Al-Madinah then returned home and spread
the word. The next year, twelve of them returned and gave
Muhammad (pbuh) their pledge of submission and acceptance of
his message. This was called "The first pledge of
Al-Aqaba"

When this delegation left to return to their people,
Muhammad (pbuh) sent with them teachers who taught the
people of their city the Qur'an and the religion of Islam.
This continued for one year until there was hardly a house
in Al-Madinah except there were people in it who had
accepted Islam. At the end of the year the people sent
another delegation to Muhammad (pbuh) consisting of seventy
five representatives. They gave Muhammad the famous second
pledge of Al-Aqaba, the "pledge of war." In it they pledged
to protect Muhammad and his companions within their city
with their wealth and their might no matter what the cost to
themselves and their families, and to protect them as they
would protect their own wives and children. Upon receiving
this pledge, Muhammad (pbuh) authorized his followers to
emigrate to Al-Madinah (for more see Section
6.4).

A Muslim by the name of Salamah the son of Salamah the
son of Waksh, a citizen of Al-Madinah, once narrated:

"We used to have a Jewish neighbor from the tribe of
Abd-Alash'hal. One day he left his house and came out to
talk to some members of the tribe of Abd-Alash'hal. At that
time I was the youngest among them. I was wearing a mantle
of mine and laying on it in my family's yard. He (the
neighbor) then began to make mention of Judgment Day, the
resurrection of all mankind, judgment, the scales, Paradise,
and Hell. He was saying all of this to a tribe of
polytheist, followers of idols, people who did not believe
in an afterlife or a resurrection after death. For this
reason they replied to him: 'Do you really believe that all
of this shall come to pass? Do you really believe that
mankind shall be resurrected after their death to a place
where there is a Paradise and a Fire to be rewarded for
their deeds?' He replied, 'Yes, by He in whom we testify!.'
He continued that he would prefer to be roasted in the most
tremendous furnace in this earthly life rather than have to
endure the fire of Hell in the hereafter. The others then
replied: 'What then is your proof of what you say?' He
replied 'A prophet who shall come from that vicinity' and he
pointed in the general direction of Makkah and Yemen
(South). They replied 'And when shall we see him?' He looked
at me, a young child, and answered 'If this child reaches
his prime he shall see him'" Salamah then continued
"By Allah!, night and day did not pass but Muhammad had
become the messenger, and he was alive among us. We then
believed in him and accepted him but he disbelieved in him
and rejected him out of transgression and envy. We then said
to him one day '[what is the matter with you?] Are
you not the same one who previously told us so much about
him?' He replied 'Yes! but he is not the one.'"

Asim the son of Omar the son of Qutadah narrated that an
elder from the Jewish tribe of Bani-Quraidah said to
him:

"Do you know the story of how Thalaba the son of
Sa'iah, Usaid the son of Sa'iah, and Asab the son of Ubaid,
the children of the tribe of Hadal the brethren of
Bani-Quraidah, became Muslims?" He said "I replied:
No I do not." He said: "There was once a man from the
children of Israel who came to us from the land of Al-Sham
(Babylon, Palestine, etc.). His name was Ibn-Alhai'iban. He
came to us two years prior to the beginning of Islam. As he
lived among us we never before saw a man better or more
devout in his daily worship than he. Whenever rain would be
withheld from us we would go to him and say to him: Go out O
Ibn-Alhai'iban and pray to God to grant us rain. He would
reply: I shall not do so unless you agree to pay out of your
harvest a charity [to the needy]. We would ask him,
how much? And he would reply a 'Saa' (weight) of dates or
two 'Muud' (weights) of wheat. He said: So we would pay this
charity and he would accompany us out to the edge of town
and beseech God on our behalf. Before he would rise to leave
a cloud would overshadow us and the rain would begin to
pour. He did this for us not once, or twice, or even three
times [but more]. When he was on his death bed and
he knew that he was about to pass away, he said: O children
of Israel, what do you think drove me to leave the land of
wine and leavened bread to come to the land of wretchedness
and hunger?. They replied: 'You know best' He said: Then
know that I only came to this land in anticipation of a
prophet of God whose time has drawn near, and this land is
the destination of his emigration (see chapter 6). I had
hoped that his time might come so that I might follow him.
So do not allow anyone to beat you to him O children of
Israel for he shall be sent to spill blood and to take as
spoils the women and children of those who oppose him.
Therefore do not allow that to prevent you from him. When
Muhammad was sent, and when he surrounded Bani-Quraidah,
these young men who had attended his speech told their
people: 'By Allah!, this is indeed the prophet which
Ibn-Alhai'iban told you of.' They replied: 'It is not him.'
They returned: 'But it is!, and it is his description.' So
these [three] young men left their people and
accepted Islam."

The Emigration to Al-Madinah:

When the Muslims received authorization from Muhammad
(pbuh) to emigrate to Al-Madinah, they began to flee in
droves under the cover of night for fear that they might be
discovered by Quraish. Those who fled Makkah were from that
day forward named "Al-Muhajireen" (The Emigrators). When
they departed from Makkah they left behind all of their
wealth, their livestock, and their homes. The people of
Quraish wasted no time in claiming this property and their
zeal in amassing their newfound wealth helped to occupy them
from setting out in pursuit of the Muslims who had fled with
only the clothes on their backs, enough provisions for their
trip, and an undying love of God burning brightly in their
hearts.

Although the Muslims had forsaken all of their worldly
possessions to the people of Quraish, still, this did not
prevent many of them from being captured and tormented by
Quraish.

Hind the daughter of Abi-Umayya Huthaifah ibn Al-Mugeerah
Al-Qurasiyya Al-Makhzoomiyya (more popularly known as
Um-Salama) was one such victim. She was married at the time
to Abdullah ibn Abdulasad, one of the first ten converts to
Islam. They had a son named Salama. Upon receiving the
authorization to emigrate to Al-Madinah, Abdullah collected
some provisions, placed his wife and son on the back of
their camel and set out for Al-Madinah.

As they reached the outskirts of the city some of the men
of the tribe of Makhzoom (the tribe of Um-Salama), saw them.
They came running and said: "Although we may be powerless
to stop you, still, you shall not be allowed to take our
daughter and travel throughout the land with her," and
they wrenched the reins of the camel from his hands.

As this was going on, a group of men from the tribe of
Um-Salama's husband Abdullah, the tribe of Abdulasad, became
enraged by this display and shouted: "By God, if you take
her you shall not take his son, the son of our tribe"
and they wrenched the boy away. Both tribes then began
to pull on the boy until they dislocated his arm. Finally,
the tribe of Makhzoom took Um-Salama and the tribe of
Abdulasad took her son Salama, and they both left Abdullah
with no recourse but to flee to Yethrib alone.

After that, Um-Salama would go out every day to the edge
of the city and weep over the loss of her son and her
husband until well into the night. This continued for about
a year until the tribes finally had mercy upon her, returned
her child to her and allowed them to catch up with her
husband.

Another example is that of Suhaib Al-Roomi of the Arab
tribe of Numair. As a child he had been taken captive by the
Romans in one of their raids on the city of Al-Thani in
Iraq. After spending many years as a slave in the service of
the Roman nobles he escaped and returned to Arabia. He came
to Makkah as an emigrant barely remembering a single word of
Arabic. Due to his heavy accent and his bright red hair he
was given the nick-name of "Al-Roomi" (The Roman). Suhaib
spent many years in Makkah bartering and trading, and
eventually he managed to amass substantial wealth. During
his stay in Rome, Suhaib had once heard a Christian priest
commenting to a Roman noble that the time was near when a
final prophet of God would be coming from the land of Arabia
and would confirm the message of Jesus (see chapter 6). When
Suhaib later heard of Muhammad's message he inquired after
him and ultimately, he accepted Islam.

When Muhammad (pbuh) authorized the emigration to
Al-Madinah Suhaib collected his belongings, and set out for
Al-Madinah. However, the nobles of Quraish had heard of his
intentions and prevented him from leaving the city. They
then set up a continuous guard to ensure that he would not
leave the city, nevertheless, through his cunning he later
managed to elude them and leave.

It was not long after that Quraish learned that Suhaib
had tricked them and escaped, so they sent out their best
riders on their fastest horses in heated pursuit of him.
Somewhere along the road to Al-Madinah they caught up with
him. Upon seeing them Suhaib dismounted, pulled out his bow
and arrows and called to them: "O people of Quraish. By
Allah, you know that I am a very skilled archer. By Allah,
you shall not reach me until I kill with each arrow in my
quiver a man among you, and then I shall smite you with my
sword until it falls from my hand."

The detachment of Quraish replied: "You came to us as
a lowly emigrant with no money. Now that you have prospered
by way of us you wish to leave? By Allah, we shall not allow
you to leave with your life and your wealth!" Whereupon
Suhaib replied: "If I were to deliver my wealth to you,
will you let me be?" They replied "Yes." So
Suhaib revealed to them the location where his wealth was
buried and they retrieved it and let him go.

When Suhaib reached Quba (a city located two miles from
Al-Madinah), Muhammad (pbuh) saw him and hastened to greet
him saying: "You have indeed prospered in your trade O
father of Yahya, you have indeed prospered in your trade."

When Suhaib heard these words he replied: "By Allah,
no one has beat me to you [with this news]. You have
not been informed of it except by way of [the angel]
Gabriel."

All of the Muslims in Makkah emigrated in secret and
under the cover of night out of fear of the persecution of
Quraish. All, that is, except Umar ibn Al-Khattab. Umar was
a powerful man and greatly respected by Quraish. He was
ambidextrous and highly skilled in matters of war. When he
resolved to emigrate he stood up in the middle of the holy
mosque in Makkah in front of it's nobles and proclaimed:
"I have resolved to emigrate. Let he who wishes his
parents to lose their child or wishes to make his children
orphans, let him meet me behind this hill," and he
departed. Of course, no one followed him.

After Muhammad (pbuh) authorized the Muslims to emigrate
to Al-Madinah, all able bodied Muslims departed until there
was no one left behind except himself, his close friend
Abu-Bakr, his cousin Ali, and those who had been persecuted
and imprisoned.

When Quraish saw that Muhammad (pbuh) had found a strong
ally and a tribe that would protect him and his followers
from their persecution they began to fear that he might
leave and join them. They decided that extreme measures were
necessitated in order to prevent this from happening. It was
time for Muhammad to die.

The nobles of Quraish met in "Dar-Alnadwa" and plotted as
to how they shall execute this deed. They decided that the
best strategy was to choose a young and capable
representative from each of their tribes and to dispatch
these representatives to his home. They would all then
strike Muhammad (pbuh) with their swords simultaneously such
that his blood would be distributed between all of the
tribes. In this manner, the children of Abdul Manaf would
not be able to take vengeance against all of the tribes of
Quraish combined.

Gabriel visited Muhammad (pbuh) and informed him of this
plot, so Muhammad requested from his cousin Ali that he take
his place in his bed and he informed him of this plot. He
consoled him not to worry, no harm shall befall him.

When the young men of Quraish collected outside
Muhammad's home, Allah momentarily took away their sight.
Muhammad (pbuh) then scooped up a handful of dust, sprinkled
it upon their heads, and then departed. As he did this he
read the first verses of Yaseen(36):

"YaSeen. By the Qur'an full of Wisdom, Truly you
[O Muhammad] are one of the messengers. On a
straight path. [This is] a Revelation sent down by
the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful, that you may warn a
people that which their forefathers were warned, but they
are heedless"

until he reached the verse "And We have set a barrier
before them and a barrier behind them, and [thus] we
have covered them so that they see not."

A man then passed by them and said "what are you
waiting for here?" They replied "For Muhammad" He
responded "He has already departed and left dust on your
heads." They then placed their hands upon their heads
and found the dust. So they peered inside the house and saw
Ali in the bed and thought he was Muhammad The next morning
Ali got up out of the bed and they realized that Muhammad
(pbuh) had indeed escaped just as that man had told them.
They quickly set out in his pursuit.

Muhammad (pbuh) set out with Abu-Bakr towards Yethrib.
When the two reached the cave of Thor at the edge of Makkah,
Abu Bakr said: "Wait O messenger of Allah while I inspect
it [for dangerous creatures]." Once he had
inspected it he asked Muhammad (pbuh) to enter. While they
were inside the cave, the dispatchment of Quraish reached
them. As they walked about all around the cave Abu Bakr
became terrified and said: "O Messenger of Allah, if one
of them were but to look beneath his feet he would see
us." Muhammad (pbuh) turned to him and said:

"O Abu Bakr, what shall you think of two [men]
the third of whom is God? [through guidance and
protection]"

In this regard the following verses were later
revealed:

"If you help him not [it matters not], for
Allah helped him when those who disbelieved drove him forth,
the second of two; when they two were in the cave, when he
said unto his comrade: Grieve not. Verily! Allah is with us.
Then Allah caused His peace of reassurance to descend upon
him and supported him with troops you did not see, and made
the word of those who disbelieved the nethermost, while
Allah's Word is the highest. For Allah is Exalted in Might,
Wise."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Tawba(9):40

Muhammad (pbuh) and Abu-Bakr remained inside the cave for
three days while Abdullah the son of Abu-Bakr brought them
news of the plotting of Quraish. His daughter, Asma, would
also bring them food every day. After three days, they took
a guide by the name of Abdullah ibn Arqat and set out for
Makkah. At times Abu-Bakr would walk behind Muhammad (pbuh)
and at others he would walk in front of him. Finally,
Muhammad (pbuh) asked him about that and Abu-Bakr explained
that at times he would fear that an attack would come at
Muhammad from behind, so he would walk behind Muhammad
(pbuh) to protect him. At other times he would fear an
attack from in front of them so he would walk in front of
him for the same reason.

When Quraish realized that Muhammad (pbuh) had eluded
they announced a reward of one hundred camels for anyone who
would capture him and return him to them. Suraqa ibn Malik
ibn Ju'ushum heard of this reward and set out in pursuit of
Muhammad (pbuh).

Suraqa was a skilled tracker and Muhammad (pbuh) and Abu
Bakr had spent three days in the cave before departing,
eventually he caught up with them. However, as he began to
close in on them his horse tripped and fell. He then got up
and mounted his horse, and again it tripped and fell. When
this happened a third time his horse began to sink into the
ground and a strong wind began to blow. When Suraqa saw this
he realized that he would not be allowed to capture them. So
he called out to them: "I am Suraqa ibn Ju'ushum. Will
you allow me to speak to you? By Allah, I promise not to
harm you" They asked him what he wanted and he replied:
"I want you to write a pact for me that shall be a sign
between me and you." Muhammad (pbuh) commanded that this
pack be written and Suraqa took it and left. As he departed,
Muhammad said to him: "conceal our location" and they
parted ways.

Suraqa never spoke to anyone about what had happened
until many years later, after the Muslims captured Makkah.
At that point, Suraqa returned to Muhammad (pbuh) with the
pact in his hand and embraced Islam.

When Muhammad (pbuh) drew near Al-Madinah, he came upon
the city of Quba (two miles away from Al-Madinah). Ever
since the beginning of the emigration of the Muslims to
Al-Madinah, the citizens of the city had been waiting with
the utmost anticipation for his arrival. They had received
word that he had left Makkah and was en route to them. Every
day a party of them would go out to the outskirts of the
city at daybreak and look for him, they would stay there
waiting for him until the midday heat would force them
indoors.

Muhammad (pbuh) and Abu Bakr first arrived on Monday the
12th of Safar (the third lunar month). Muhammad was fifty
three years old at the time. When they arrived the citizens
had already returned home for the afternoon. The first
person to see him called out at the top of his lungs
announcing his arrival.

Muhammad (pbuh) and Abu Bakr were men of similar age.
Most of the citizens of Al-Madinah had never seen Muhammad
(pbuh) in person, so they could not tell which one was him.
When Abu Bakr realized this he stood over Muhammad (pbuh)
and shaded him with his coat whereupon the people recognized
Muhammad (pbuh).

It is estimated that about five hundred people greeted
them on that day and the people clamored on the roof tops
trying to get a glimpse of him and crying: "Which one is
him? Which one is him?" while the children and the
slaves filled the streets shouting "God is great! God's
messenger has come! God is great! Muhammad has arrived!"

The people then joined together in singing:

The full moon (Muhammad) has risen upon us

From the direction of "Thaniyyat al-Wada'a"

And all thanks [to Allah] is incumbent upon
us

So long as a caller calls to Allah

O you who were sent among us

You have come with a heeded command

You have brought favor upon the city

Welcome, O best of callers

Fig. 10 The Mosque of Quba. The first Mosque built in
Islam. Here it has been expanded greatly since it's simple
beginnings at the time of Muhammad (pbuh)

Muhammad (pbuh) remained in Quba four days. During his
stay he laid the foundations for the first masjid (mosque)
to be built in Islam, the masjid of Quba. After these four
days he departed on Friday and prayed the Friday
(congregational) prayer in Bani Salim ibn Ouf.

When Muhammad (pbuh) entered the city of Al-Madinah all
of it's people vied for the honor of having him as their
guest in their home and they would call to him: "stay
with us and under our protection." Some of the people
would also take hold of his camel's reins in order to guide
it to their homes. However, each time Muhammad (pbuh) would
respond to them with the words: "Leave it (my camel) be,
for it has been commanded [where to go]"

Muhammad (pbuh) released the reins of his camel and
allowed it to roam freely. The people all followed the camel
through the city hoping against hope that it might stop at
their home. Each time it would come upon one of their homes
it's owner's heart would soar; perhaps I shall be the one.
And each time it passed by a home their hearts would
plummet, for they had lost the honor of the best of guests,
the messenger of God. Finally the camel of Muhammad (pbuh)
came to a stop and sat down at a location in the city where
the Masjid of the Prophet stands today.

The nearest home to that location was the home of Khalid
the son of Zaid Al-Najjari Al-Khuza'i, more popularly known
as Abu-Ayyoob. Abu Ayyoob carried Muhammad's belongings into
his home, cleared out the top (second) floor for him and
left the bottom floor for himself and his wife. He did this
out of respect for the messenger of Allah so that he would
not reside above him. Muhammad (pbuh), however, objected and
told him that he received many visitors each day and he
feared that they would cause Abu-Ayyoob distress by passing
back and forth to reach him. Abu-Ayyoob finally consented
and took the top floor. However, a few nights later
Abu-Ayyoob accidentally struck a jar of water during the
night and spilled it all over the floor. He and his wife
hastened to soak it up with their sheets fearing that it
might leak through and drip on Muhammad (pbuh). In the
morning Abu Ayyoob pleaded with Muhammad to allow him to
take the lower floor and Muhammad (pbuh) consented.

The land that Muhammad's camel had come to a stop upon
was at that time owned by two orphans from Banu Al-Najjar
named Sahil and Suhail, the children of Amr. This land was
used as a "Marbad" (a place to dry their dates). Muhammad
(pbuh) asked them to sell it to him but they insisted that
he accept it as a gift. Muhammad (pbuh) refused to take it
without paying for it and insisted on paying for it until
they finally sold it to him. He then commanded that the
masjid be built on that spot. This masjid was later named
"The masjid of the Prophet Muhammad"

Muhammad (pbuh) worked with the Muslims in the
construction of this masjid, transporting the bricks, and
laying them in place. All the while he would recite:

O my lord, verily the true reward is that of the
hereafter

So forgive the "Ansar" and the "Muhajereen"

Fig. 11 The "Prophet's Mosque" in Al-Madinah. Here it
has been expanded greatly from it's humble beginnings at the
time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

As he was doing this, the Muslims would work with him
chanting and reciting poetry while they raised the
construction of the masjid. This continued for approximately
eleven months until the masjid was finally completed.

As mentioned previously, those Muslims who emigrated from
Makkah were from that day forward called the "Muhajereen"
(the "Emigrators"). The Muslims who received them in Yethrib
were named the "Ansar" (The "supporters"). The city of
Yethrib was also later renamed to "Al-Madinah Al-Munawara"
(The illuminated city) and this has remained it's name to
this day, however, this name is sometimes shortened to
"Al-Madinah" only (I have referred to it as such in this
book in many places).

Muhammad (pbuh) paired the Muhajereen and the Ansar
together in brotherhood. The Ansar competed with one another
to be host to one of the Muhajereen. They would split
everything they owned in half and allow their guest to
choose which half they would prefer. Muhammad (pbuh) then
commanded that a pact be written between the Muhajereen and
the Ansar wherein he outlined a contract of peace with the
tribes of the Jews within the city and confirmed their right
to free practice of their religion and protection of their
wealth. He also outlined their rights and their obligations
and then all parties pledged to uphold this pact and observe
it. For the details of this treaty see "Al-Seerah
Al-Nabawiyya" by Ibn Hisham.

Not long after the masjid was built, the Muslims began to
go to it five times a day to attend the five daily prayers.
The Jews had a horn they use to call to prayer, and the
Christians had a bell, however, Muhammad (pbuh) did not like
these methods. Someone suggested raising a flag, however, he
disliked this idea too. Not long after, Abdullah ibn Zayd
received a vision at night revealing to him how to call the
people to prayer. He came to Muhammad (pbuh) and recounted
to him what he had heard and seen in his dream. Muhammad
(pbuh) told him that this was a revelation from God and then
he ordered Bilal the Ethiopian to call to the five daily
prayers as Abdullah had been taught. To this day, in Muslim
countries throughout the world, when the time of prayer
arrives we can hear the "Adhan" recited all over the city
from the tops of the masjids. It translates loosely to:

Allah is the Almighty! Allah is the Almighty!

Allah is the Almighty! Allah is the Almighty!

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of
worship other than Allah!

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of
worship other than Allah!

I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of
Allah!

I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of
Allah!

Welcome, and come unto prayer!

Welcome, and come unto prayer!

Welcome, and come unto prosperity!

Welcome, and come unto prosperity!

Allah is the Almighty! Allah is the Almighty!

There is no deity worthy of worship other than Allah!

Sixteen months after Muhammad (pbuh) arrived in
Al-Madinah, he was commanded to change the direction of
prayer of the Muslims from the holy mosque in Jerusalem to
the Kaaba in Makkah. From that day forward all Muslims have
directed their prayers towards the Kaaba in Makkah.

Within the boundaries of the city of Al-Madinah there
lived a number of tribes of the Jews. Most notable among
them were the tribes of Quraidha, Qainuqaa, and Nadheer. One
of the most learned Rabbis in the tribe of Qainuqaa was a
man by the name of Al-Husain the son of Salam. When Muhammad
came to Al-Madinah Al-Husain accepted him and became a
Muslim. Muhammad then changed his name to Abdullah (servant
of God). Thus, he became known as Abdullah ibn Salam. Let us
leave it to Abdullah himself to tell us his story.

Abdullah ibn Salam narrated:

"When I first heard of the messenger of Allah (from
the news that came to me from Makkah), I recognized his
description, his name and his time, all of which we (the
Jews) had been anticipating. This caused me great joy,
however, I kept silent until the messenger of Allah came to
Al-Madinah. When he arrived in Quba, among the children of
Amr the sons of Ouf, a man came and informed us of his
arrival. At the time I was at the top of one of my date
palms working on it and my aunt, Khalida the daughter of
Al-Harith, was sitting beneath me on the ground. When I
heard the news of his arrival I shouted the praise of my
Lord. When my aunt heard me she rebuked me saying: 'Fie upon
you! If you had heard of the arrival of Moses the son of
Umran you would have done no more than this' So I replied to
her: My aunt, verily he is the brother of Moses the son of
Umran and upon the same religion. He was sent with that
which was sent with Moses. My aunt queried: 'My cousin, is
he the prophet whom we were told would come at this hour?' I
replied, yes. Then she said: 'It is good then.' So I
departed to meet the messenger of Allah and accepted Islam.
I then returned to my family and told them to embrace Islam,
and they did"

Abdullah continues:

"I kept the news of my acceptance of Islam a secret
from the Jews. I then went to the messenger of Allah and
told him: O messenger of Allah. Verily, the Jews are a
slanderous people, and I ask that you conceal me in your
home so that they shall not see me, then ask them about my
stature among them before they learn of my acceptance of
Islam. For if they were to learn of this news they shall
slander me and revile me. So the messenger of Allah hid me
in part of his home and asked that they come assemble before
him. They then spoke to him and asked him questions.
Finally, he asked them: 'What sort of man is Al-Husain the
son of Salam among you?' They replied: 'Our master, the son
of our master. He is our Rabbi and scholar.' When they were
through, I stepped out before them. I then told them: O
children of Israel, seek refuge in Allah and accept that
which he has brought you. For by Allah, you know that he is
the messenger of Allah, you find it written in the Torah
that is with you in both name and description. Verily I bear
witness that he is the messenger of Allah. I accept him,
believe him and recognize him. They said 'You lie!' Then
they slandered me excessively. So I asked the messenger of
Allah: Did I not tell you that they are a slanderous people?
A treacherous, lying, trespassing people? So I publicized my
acceptance of Islam and that of my family. My aunt also
embraced Islam and became a devout Muslim."

Safiyah bint Huyay once narrated the following story
regarding her father and uncle, who were Jews:

"When the Messenger of Allah arrived at Quba, my
father Huyay ibn Akhtab and my uncle Abu Yaser went to him
after morning prayer while it was still dark and they did
not return until sunset. They returned tired and
demoralised, and were walking slowly. I went near them but
they did not even turn towards me due to their sadness. Then
I hear my uncle say to my father, 'Is he the one?' He
replied: 'Yes, by Allah'. My uncle said: 'Do you know him
and confirm him?' He said: 'Yes'. My uncle said: 'How do you
feel about him?' He said: 'By Allah! Hatred and enmity as
long as I live.'"

The people of Quraish continued to display animosity and
hatred towards the Muslims in Al-Madinah however, Muhammad
(pbuh) continued to console them to

"Stay your hands and Perfect your prayers."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):77

After the Muslims had learned how to pray and how to
humble themselves in the following of the commands of Allah
and the obeying of His messenger, they were then given
sanction to fight, however,
it was not mandated upon them. This sanction was delivered
in the following verse:

"Sanction [to fight] is given unto those who
are fought against because they have been wronged; and Allah
is indeed able to grant them victory"

The noble Qur'an, Al-Hajj(22):39

Muhammad (pbuh) began to send out detachments to
different tribes in the area. Although these detachments did
not always do battle with these tribes, their main objective
was to instill a healthy respect for the might of the Muslim
nation so that their neighbors would think twice about
abusing them or terrorizing them. Among these detachments
was that of Abdullah ibn Jahsh.

In the second year after the emigration, Muhammad (pbuh)
sent Abdullah ibn Jahsh and his detachment to a location
near Makkah in order to collect intelligence and bring news
of Quraish's actions. While they were there, a caravan of
Quraish passed by and after long consultations the Muslims
decided to attack it and take it. They did this in Rajab,
one of the four "forbidden months" that the Arabs had for
many centuries recognized as being unlawful for one to fight
in them. When they attacked the caravan they killed one man
and captured two others. They then drove the caravan to
Al-Madinah and presented it to Muhammad (pbuh).

When Muhammad (pbuh) saw what they had done he said:
"I did not command you to fight in the forbidden month!.
I did not command you to fight in the forbidden month!"
and he refused to take anything from that caravan.

All of the Muslims then severely rebuked and chastised
them until they felt that indeed they had lost. At this
point the following verse was revealed:

"They question you (O Muhammad) with regard to warfare
in the sacred month. Say: Warfare therein is a great
[transgression], but to turn [people] from
the path of Allah, and to disbelieve in Him and in the
Inviolable Place of Worship, and to expel His people thence,
is [even] greater with Allah; for persecution is
worse than killing..."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Baqara(2):217

The Battle of Badr:

The second year after the emigration was the year that
the fasting of the month of Ramadan was prescribed upon all
Muslims. However, it was famous for another reason, for it
was in this year, the fifteenth year of the Islamic message,
that the great turning point of Islam arrived. This was the
year of the great battle of Badr (see Section
6.5). Due to it's tremendous importance in the history
of the Islamic message, this day was named in the Qur'an
"Yawm al-Furqaan" (loosely translated: "The day of
discerning and decisiveness").

For fifteen years, the Muslims had born the abuse and
torture of Quraish and their nobles. They had lost their
wealth, land and homes, and had endured great hardship. Many
had died. Even after the emigration, Quraish insisted on
following them with their abuse and every so often they
would send small detachments to fight with them. These
detachments would go so far as to enter the outskirts of the
city and their farms.

In the third month of the next lunar year, the month of
Safar (twelve months after the emigration), Muhammad (pbuh)
received news of a caravan headed towards Quraish that was
being lead by Abu-Sufyan, one of the staunchest of the
nobles of Quraish in animosity to the Muslims. Muhammad
(pbuh) decided to take this caravan and reimburse the
Muslims part of their wealth which had been wrongfully taken
from them when they fled Makkah.

As he traveled towards Makkah, Abu-Sufyan received word
of Muhammad's intentions and this news alarmed him greatly.
Abu-Sufyan sent hurried word to Quraish appealing for their
assistance and urging their swift response. When Quraish
received this plea they immediately summoned all of their
nobles, all of the tribes of Makkah, and a number of the
surrounding tribes and readied the provisions of war. Not a
single one of the nobles of Quraish stayed behind except for
Abu-Lahab who sent Al-Aasi ibn Hisham ibn Al-Mugheera in his
place (upon the condition that Abu-Lahab pay off his debt of
4000 dirhams). This was the day the nobles had been waiting
for. This was the day when they would finally put this
upstart nation in it's place and would finally stamp out
Muhammad and his followers. They would make an example of
them so severe that all of the tribes of Arabia would be
terrified of them for generations to come. The army of
Quraish then hastened to cut off the Muslims before they
reached the caravan.

Muhammad (pbuh) received word of Quraish's army, their
numbers and their weapons. His men had agreed to set out
with him for a much more innocuous matter than this and were
not prepared for all-out war. For this reason, Muhammad
(pbuh) collected them before him and informed them of the
army of Quraish. He then sought their council and asked them
all for their opinions.

When Muhammad (pbuh) asked for their council, he was in
reality seeking the response of the Ansar. They had pledged
to protect him and his followers with their life and their
wealth so long as they resided within their city. However,
he was now asking them to leave the city and wage war in
another land. He wished to see how they would respond.

The first to respond to Muhammad's query were the
Muhajereen. They pledged to follow him to the ends of the
earth and to die Muslims. Muhammad (pbuh) then posed the
question again, and again the Muhajereen responded well.
After Muhammad (pbuh) asked a third time, Saad ibn Muath,
one of the leaders of the tribes of Al-Madinah stood up and
said:

"Perhaps your question is directed at us O messenger
of Allah? Perhaps you feel that the Ansar believe that they
are only obligated to assist you within the boundaries of
the city? I hereby speak in the name of the Ansar when I say
and answer on their behalf: Journey were you will, and
extend the hand of friendship to whom you will, and reject
whom you will, and take from our wealth what you will, and
give us what you will. Indeed, that which you take from us
is more beloved to us than that which you give us. Whatever
you may decree in a matter, our decree proceeds from yours.
By Allah, were you to march with us to the lakes of Ghamadan
(in Yemen), we would march with you!. By Allah, were you to
traverse this sea, we would traverse it with you!."

Another man from the Ansar then arose and said similar
words. When Muhammad (pbuh) heard these words his face lit
up and he was greatly pleased. He then commanded them:

"March forth [then] and receive glad tidings.
For Allah has promised me one of two (victory or Heaven). By
Allah, it is as if I am looking at their places of death
[as I speak]"

Muhammad's army consisted of 313 men, two horses, and
seventy camels. Two or three men would take turns riding
these camels, and no preference in this matter would be
given to an officer or a soldier. The flag was given to
Musab ibn Omair, and the banners of the Muhajereen and the
Ansar were given to Ali ibn abi Talib and Saad ibn Muath
respectively. The flag was white and the two banners were
black. The army of Quraish consisted of between nine hundred
and one thousand men.

While the two armies were advancing upon one-another,
Abu-Sufyan diverted his caravan away from the beaten path
and down towards the shoreline. When he managed to take his
caravan out of the face of danger he sent a messenger to the
army of Quraish to return home for the caravan was safe.
However, the nobles of Quraish insisted on fighting the
Muslims and refused to return without having taught them a
lesson.

When the two armies met, Muhammad (pbuh) lined his men up
and prepared them for war. He then entered into his tent and
supplicated to God, prayed to Him, and beseeched Him to
grant them victory over their enemy. For if this handful of
men were to be slaughtered this day, the message of God
would vanish from the face of the earth for all time.
Muhammad (pbuh) continued to supplicate to God, reverence
His name and beseech Him for His assistance in great earnest
and in all humbleness and submissiveness for some time. When
Abu Bakr saw his state he attempted to console and comfort
him as best he could. Finally, Muhammad (pbuh) withdrew from
the tent and addressed his men. He encouraged them to fight,
to fear God and to seek His great reward. The fighting then
began.

It was the custom in that time that such battles would
begin with celebrated representatives from each party
fencing individually with one another until one party's
representative killed the other's. Quraish sent three
skilled swordsmen from among their nobles to represent them.
They were, Utba ibn Rabeea, his brother Shaiba, and his son
Al-Waleed. Muhammad (pbuh) met them with Obaida ibn
Al-Harith (himself the son of Muhammad's grandfather), his
uncle Hamza, and his cousin Ali. The Muslim party made short
work of the representatives of Quraish and killed them
quickly. However, Obaidah was injured severely by his
opponent and died later on.

Both armies began to edge closer and closer to
one-another until Muhammad (pbuh) finally gave the command:
"Rise up to a Paradise the width of which is the heavens
and the earth."

When Muhammad (pbuh) gave this command Omair ibn Al-Hamam
asked: "A Paradise the width of which is the heavens and
the earth?" Muhammad replied: "Yes!" Then
Omair said: "Bakhin, Bakhin (a term of satisfaction) O
messenger of Allah." Muhammad asked him:"What drove you to say Bakhin, Bakhin?" He
replied: "Nothing O Messenger of Allah except that I had
hoped to be of it's inhabitants." Muhammad replied:
"Then, you are of it's inhabitants."

Obaidah took some dates out of his sack and began to put
them in his mouth but stopped suddenly and said: "If I am
given life enough to eat these dates, indeed I would have
lived [too] long." He then tossed them aside and
fought until he was killed.

Both parties fought long and hard until the Muslims
gained the upper hand and defeated Quraish. Seventy men of
Quraish were killed and seventy were taken as prisoners. Of
the Muslims six men of the Muhajereen were killed and eight
men from the Ansar. All of the greatest nobles of Quraish
died on that day at the hands of the Muslims. The following
verse of the Qur'an was then revealed:

"And Allah has granted you victory in Badr, battle
of when you were weak. So fear Allah that you might
[learn to] be thankful [to Him]"

The noble Qur'an, A'al-Umran(3):123

After he had buried the dead of Quraish, Muhammad (pbuh)
turned to their grave and said: "O inhabitants of
[this grave], we have found what our Lord promised
us to be true, so have you found what your Lord promised you
to be true?."

When the Muslims returned home Muhammad (pbuh) ordered
them to treat the prisoners well. Abu Aziz narrated:

"I was [among the prisoners] in a group of the
Ansar when they brought me back from Badr. Whenever they
would bring me my dinner they would give me the bread [a
delicacy] and suffice with dates for themselves out of
respect for the command of the Messenger of Allah (to do
good by the prisoners). Whenever a man among [my
guards] would come into the possession of a piece of
bread he would pass it over to me. Out of bashfulness I
would pass it back to him, but he would return it to me and
refuse to eat it."

Among the prisoners were the relatives of Muhammad (pbuh)
such as his uncle Al-Abbas, his cousin Akeel, and others.
However, he insisted that they not be given preferential
treatment and be treated just like any of the other
prisoners.

Muhammad (pbuh) did not kill the prisoners, rather, he
forgave them and allowed them to be ransomed back to their
people. He ransomed them back according to their wealth.
Those who did not have anything were forgiven and set free
without a ransom. Others were set free with the condition
that they teach ten of the Ansar how to read and write. Zaid
ibn Thabit* was one of the Muslims who learned to
read and write in this way.

During the battle of Badr, the Jews of the tribe of
Banu-Qainuqa broke their treaty with Muhammad (pbuh) and
fought with the pagans of Quraish against him. Muhammad
(pbuh) later surrounded them and ordered them to leave the
city. He allowed them to go wherever they pleased and to
carry whatever belongings they wished with them, however
they were no longer welcome in Al-Madinah. They then left
and migrated to Northern Arabia (al-Sham).

Other battles:

Other battles ensued after that, however, the details
shall be left for other books to elaborate upon. Any number
of book stores can provide a number of books that describe
them in detail. Contact any of the book stores listed at the
back of this book for more on this topic.

Some of the highlights of these battles are:

The battle of Uhud which was fought in the third year
after the emigration. In this battle Muhammad (pbuh) had
given the Muslims specific commands on where and how to
fight. In the beginning, they followed his command and were
victorious. However, no sooner did they have the pagans of
Quraish on the run than they forgot his commands and were
subsequently defeated. Seven hundred Muslims and roughly
three thousand pagans fought in this battle. Seventy men of
the Ansar and twenty two men of Quraish died in this
battle.

In the fifth year after the "Hijra" (the emigration), the
Muslims and the pagans again met on the field of battle.
This time, the men of Quraish summoned many of the tribes of
Arabia and enlisted their aid. They also received the aid of
another of the tribes of the Jews in the city of Al-Madinah,
called the tribe of Bani-Quraidha. The city of Al-Madinah
was vulnerable from one direction only, the direction of the
homes of Bani-Quraidha. The Muslims made a pact with the
tribe of Bani-Quraidha to protect that side of the city and
not to allow the pagans entry. They, however, betrayed their
pact with Muhammad and allowed the confederates to attack
them from behind. This battle was named the battle of
Al-Ahzab (the confederates), or the battle of Al-Khandaq
(the trench).

The Muslims consisted of three thousand fighters. The
Pagans had managed to collect four thousand men from Quraish
and six thousand from the tribe of Ghatfan in addition to
their allies from the Jews of Bani-Quraidha. The Muslims dug
a trench which held the pagans off for a long time, and
Muhammad (pbuh) managed to employ a measure of physiological
warfare against them as well. Finally Allah sent a strong
wind that overthrew their pots and ripped their tents out of
the ground chasing them away. It is estimated that seven
Muslims and four men from the confederates died in this
battle.

It was in regard to this battle that the following verses
were later revealed:

"When they came upon you from above you and from below
you, and when the eyes grew wild and the hearts reached to
the throats, and you imagined vain thoughts concerning
Allah. There were the believers sorely tried, and were
shaken a tremendous shaking."

up to the verses: "When the Believers saw the
Confederate [forces], they said: 'This is what God
and his Apostle had promised us, and God and His Apostle
indeed spoke the truth.' And it only added to their faith
and their obedience. Among the Believers are men who have
been true to their covenant with God: of them some have paid
their vow by death [in battle], and some of them
still are waiting; and they have not altered in the least:
That God may reward the truthful for their Truth, and punish
the hypocrites if He will, or relent toward them [if He
will]. Verily! Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
And Allah repulsed the disbelievers in their fury; they
gained no good. Allah averted their attack from the
believers. And Allah is ever All-Strong, All-Mighty. And He
brought those of the People of the Scripture who supported
them down from their strongholds, and cast terror into their
hearts. Some you slew, and some you made captive. And He
caused you to inherit their land and their houses and their
wealth, and land you have not trodden. and Allah is Able to
do all things."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Ahzab(33):10-27

Immediately after they had defeated the confederates,
Muhammad (pbuh) and the Muslims surrounded the Jews of
Bani-Quraidha and finally defeated them and expelled them
from the city for their breaking of the treaty and their
assistance of the confederates against them.

The treaty of Al-Hudaibia and the Opening of
Makkah:

In the sixth year after the emigration, Muhammad (pbuh)
saw a vision wherein he entered Makkah and circumambulated
(circled) the Kaaba. This vision did not specify a date but
he realized that he would soon capture Makkah. Muhammad
(pbuh) commanded his men to prepare for "Umrah" (minor
pilgrimage) to Makkah. In the eleventh month of the sixth
year, (the month of Thul-Qida), Muhammad departed for Makkah
with approximately one thousand and five hundred men. He had
no intention of waging war but only to perform pilgrimage.
The people of Makkah heard that he was coming and feared for
their lives. When he reached Al-Hudaibiyya, his camel
stopped and sat down. The Muslims said "Al-Qaswa (the
name of his camel) has refused to advance!" Muhammad
(pbuh) replied "No! it has not refused, nor is that
fitting conduct for it. But the bar that prevented the
elephant (in "The year of the elephant" above) has held it
back"

He then said:"Quraish shall not come to
me requesting a treaty that raises the name of God and
reverences the bonds of kinship but I shall accept it from
them" He then poked his camel and rebuked it and it
arose and continued onwards.

Quraish came to Muhammad and made a pact with him
stipulating that the Muslims shall not perform their
pilgrimage this year but shall wait till next year. And no
man shall come from Quraish without the authorization of his
master seeking refuge with the Muslims but he shall be
returned to Quraish. And that no man from the Muslims shall
come to Quraish seeking refuge but he shall be allowed to
stay with Quraish. They also agreed to refrain from fighting
for ten years and that whosoever wished to enter into
Muhammad's pact and treaty could do so, and whosoever wished
to enter into Quraish's pact and treaty could do so.
Muhammad (pbuh) agreed to this truce which was named "The
Truce of Al-Hudaibiyya".

When the Muslims saw Muhammad accept this pact they were
dumb-struck. How could he possible accept such a one-sided
and unjust treaty (in their estimation)? However, Muhammad
(pbuh) commanded them to return and they did.

During the course of the next year, Muhammad (pbuh)
abided by his promise and anyone who came to him seeking
refuge without the consent of his master was returned to
Quraish. Eventually, these men escaped from Quraish and
became bandits, holding up Quraish's caravans and terrifying
their people. Finally, Quraish begged Muhammad (pbuh) to
please accept those who sought his protection and he
did.

One of the outcomes of this treaty was that the people of
Arabia were finally able to enter into the religion of Islam
without the fear of persecution or death. The Muslims were
finally able to travel to the tribes and recite the Qur'an
to them freely and without hindrance. In this one year
(after the start of the truce) more people entered into
Islam than had entered into it in all the fifteen years
prior to that combined. One of the signs of this was that in
the first attempt at pilgrimage (when Muhammad accepted the
truce) 1500 Muslims traveled with him. The next year, over
ten thousand Muslims returned with him to perform the
pilgrimage.

Allah said in the Qur'an:

"But it may happen that you hate a thing which is good
for you, and it may happen that you love a thing which is
bad for you. Allah knows, and you know not."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Baqarah(2):216

It is estimated that Muhammad's letters to the kings of
the surrounding nations were sent out around the end of the
sixth year after the emigration. Muhammad (pbuh) sent
messengers to the leaders of Rome, Persia, Egypt, and
Ethiopia among others. This was the beginning of the global
call to Islam. Allah says in the Qur'an:

"We have not sent you but as a universal
[Messenger] to mankind, giving them glad tidings,
and warning them, but most of mankind understand not."

The noble Qur'an, Saba(24):38

and also: "Say: O mankind! I am [sent] to you
only as a plain warner."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Hajj(22):49

When Muhammad (pbuh) was about to send these letters, it
was said to him: "They do not accept a letter except with
a seal," so a metal ring was made for him with the words
"Muhammad, the messenger of Allah" engraved in it. This
became his official seal.

Muhammad's letter to the king of Persia, Khosru
(590-628AD), was as follows:

"In the name of God, Most Compassionate, Most
Merciful. From Muhammad the messenger of God to Khosru the
great one of Persia. Peace be unto he who follows
[true] guidance, believes in God and his messenger,
and bears witness that there is no god but Allah, and I am
the messenger of Allah to all of mankind that I may warn
[all] those who live. Embrace Islam and yours shall
be peace and safety. But if you refuse then upon you shall
be the sin of the Zoroastrians"

His message to the king of Ethiopia (the successor of the
king to whom the Muslims had previously emigrated) was as
follows:

"In the name of God, Most Compassionate, Most
Merciful. From Muhammad the messenger of Allah to Negashi
the great one of Ethiopia. Peace be unto he who follows
[true] guidance. [Further], I thank God on
your behalf, the One who there is no god but He. The King,
the Holy, the Source of Peace and Perfection, the Giver of
security, the Guardian. And I bear witness that Jesus the
son of Mary was the spirit of Allah and His word which He
sent down unto Mary, the virgin (and devoted), the pure, the
chaste. So she bore him from His spirit and His blowing,
just as He created Adam with His Hand. I invite you to God,
the One. No partners has He. And [I invite you] to
Friendship and consistency in His obedience, to follow me,
and believe in that which has come unto me. For I am the
messenger of God, and I invite you and your soldiers to God,
the Noble, the Supreme. [Indeed,] I have delivered
[the message] and advised, so accept my advice. And
peace be unto he who follows [true] guidance"

Muhammad's message to the ruler of the Coptics,
"Al-Muqokas":

"In the name of God, Most Compassionate, Most
Merciful. From Muhammad the slave and messenger of Allah to
'Al-Muqokas' the great one of the Coptics. Peace be unto he
who follows [true] guidance. [Further,] I
greet you with the greeting of Islam. Embrace Islam and
yours shall be peace and safety. Embrace Islam and God shall
double your reward. But if you turn away then upon you shall
be the sin of the Coptics. {Say: O People of the Scripture!
Come to a word that is just between us and you: that we
shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall associate no
partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others for
lords beside Allah. But if they turn away, then say: Bear
witness that we are they who have surrendered [unto
Him]}1"

Muhammad's message to Hercules (610-641AD), Emperor of
Rome:

"In the name of God, Most Compassionate, Most
Merciful. From Muhammad the slave and messenger of Allah to
Hercules the great one of Rome. Peace be unto he who follows
[true] guidance. [Further,] I greet you with
the greeting of Islam. Embrace Islam and yours shall be
peace and safety, and God shall double your reward. But if
you turn away then upon you shall be the sin of the
'Ariusins'* . {Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to a
word that is just between us and you: that we shall worship
none but Allah, and that we shall associate no partners with
Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside
Allah. But if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we
are they who have surrendered [unto Him]}"

Delving into the details of the responses of these kings
to Muhammad's messages is beyond the scope of this book. For
more see any of the many books available at one of the
bookstores listed at the back of this book. However, one
response in particular bears a short mention. It is the
response of the Caesar of Rome (Hercules) to Muhammad's
message. Abdullah ibn Abbas narrates for us this story in
Sahih Al-Bukhari. He says:

"Allah's Messenger (pbuh) wrote to Caesar and invited
him to Islam. Allah's Messenger (pbuh) sent Dihyah al-Kalbi
with his letter and ordered him to hand it over to the
Governor of Busrah who would forward it to Caesar, who as a
sign of gratitude to Allah, had walked from Hims to Ilya
(i.e. Jerusalem) when Allah had granted him victory over the
Persian forces.

So when the letter of Allah's Messenger (pbuh) reached
Caesar, he said after reading it, "Seek for me any one of
his people, if at present here, in order to ask him about
Muhammad" At that time AbuSufyan ibn Harb* was in
Sha'm with some men from Quraysh who had come (to Sha'm) as
merchants during the truce that had been concluded between
Allah's Messenger (pbuh) and the pagans of Quraysh.

AbuSufyan said, "Caesar's messenger found us somewhere
in Sha'm so he took me and my companions to Ilya
(Jerusalem). We were admitted into Caesar's court, to find
him sitting in his royal court wearing a crown and
surrounded by the senior dignitaries of the Byzantines.

He said to his interpreter, 'Ask them who among them
is a close relation to the man who claims to be a prophet.'"
AbuSufyan said, "I replied, 'I am the nearest relative to
him.' He asked, 'What degree of relationship do you have
with him?' I replied, 'He is my cousin,' and there was none
of Banu Abdul Manaf* in the caravan except myself.
Caesar said, 'Let him come nearer.' He then ordered my
companions to stand behind me near my shoulder and said to
his interpreter, 'Tell his companions that I am going to ask
this man about the man who claims to be a prophet. If he
tells a lie, they should give me a sign.'"

AbuSufyan added, 'By Allah! Had it not been shameful
that my companions label me a liar, I should not have spoken
the truth about Muhammad when Caesar asked me. But I
considered it shameful to be labeled a liar by my
companions. So I told the truth.*'

Caesar then said to his interpreter, 'Ask him what
kind of family does Muhammad belong to.' I replied, 'He
belongs to a noble family among us.' He said, 'Has anybody
else among you ever claimed the same before him?' I replied,
'No.' He said, 'Had you ever known him to tell lies before
he claimed that which he claimed?' I replied, 'No.' He said,
'Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?' I replied, 'No.'
He said, 'Do the noble or the poor follow him?' I replied,
'It is the poor who follow him.' He said, 'Are they
increasing or decreasing?' I replied, 'They are increasing.'
He said, 'Does anybody among those who embrace his religion
become displeased and then renounce his religion?.' I
replied, 'No.' He said, 'Does he break his promises?' I
replied, 'No, but we have now a truce with him and we are
afraid that he may betray us.'" AbuSufyan added, "Other than
the last sentence, I could not work in a single word against
him. Caesar then asked, 'Have you ever waged war with him?'
I replied, 'Yes.' He said, 'What was the outcome of your
battles against him?' I replied, 'The result varied;
sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we were.' He said,
'What does he order you to do?' I said, 'He tells us to
worship Allah alone, not to worship others with Him, and to
discard all that our forefathers used to worship. He orders
us to pray, give in charity, be chaste, keep our promises
and return that which is entrusted to us.'

When I had said that, Caesar said to his interpreter,
'Say to him: I asked you about his lineage and your reply
was that he belonged to a noble family. In fact, all
messengers of God came from the noblest lineage of their
nations. Then I questioned you whether anybody else among
you had claimed such a thing, and your reply was in the
negative. If the answer had been in the affirmative, I
should have thought that this man was following a claim that
had been made before him. When I asked you whether he was
ever known to tell lies, your reply was in the negative, so
I took it for granted that a person who did not tell a lie
about people could never tell a lie about God. Then I asked
you whether any of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was
in the negative, and if it had been in the affirmative, I
should have thought that this man sought the return of his
ancestral kingdom.

When I asked you whether the rich or the poor people
followed him, you replied that it was the poor who followed
him. In fact, such are the followers of the messengers of
God. Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing
or decreasing. You replied that they were increasing. In
fact, this is the result of true faith until it is complete
(in all respects). I asked you whether there was anybody
who, after embracing his religion, became displeased and
renounced his religion; your reply was in the negative. In
fact, this is the sign of true faith, for when its
blessedness enters and mixes in the hearts completely,
nobody will be displeased with it.

I asked you whether he had ever broken his promise.
You replied in the negative. And such are the messengers of
God; they never break their promises. When I asked you
whether you fought with him and he fought with you, you
replied that he did, and that sometimes he was victorious
and sometimes you. Indeed, such are the messengers of God;
they are put to trials and the final victory is always
theirs.

Then I asked you what he commanded of you. You replied
that he ordered you to worship Allah alone and not to
worship others along with Him, to leave all that your
fore-fathers used to worship, to offer prayers, to speak the
truth, to be chaste, to keep promises, and to return what is
entrusted to you. These are the qualities of a prophet who I
knew (from the previous Scriptures) would appear, but I did
not know that he would be from amongst you. If what you say
is true, he will very soon capture the land under my feet,
and if I knew that I would reach him definitely, I would go
immediately to meet Him; and were I with him, then I would
have certainly washed his feet.'"

Caesar then collected his nobles and military leaders and
asked them what would be their response if he were to accept
Muhammad's request. The whole court was thrown into a great
uproar, the officers became extremely restless raising their
voices in objection and their eyes grew wild. When he saw
this he quickly interjected and claimed that he had only
asked that question in order to test their resolve and their
firm stance. So he renounced his previous resolve and
refused Muhammad's message.

Jabir ibn Samurah narrated in Sahih Al-Bukhari:

Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said:

"When Khusraw (Chosroes) is ruined, there will be no
Khusraw after him; and when Caesar is ruined, their will be
no Caesar after him. By Him in Whose Hands my life is, you
will spend their treasures in Allah's Cause."

After exactly one year, in the eleventh month of the
seventh year after the emigration, Muhammad (pbuh) and his
followers set out for Makkah once more and this time were
allowed to enter it and perform the minor-pilgrimage that
they were bared from performing the year before.

One of the conditions of the treaty of Al-Hudaibiyya was
that anyone who wished to enter into Muhammad's pact could
do so, and anyone who wished to enter into Quraish's pack
could do so. Of those who later entered into Muhammad's pact
was the tribe of Khuza'a. And of those who later entered
into Quraish's pact was the tribe of Banu-Bikr.

The two tribes of Khuza'a and Banu-Bikr were ancient
enemies. This hatred and animosity was handed down through
the generations, father to son. When Islam came, it put an
end to this matter and everyone moved on with their lives.
After the two tribes had entered into the treaty between
Quraish and the Muslims, the tribe of Banu-Bikr attacked
some men from the tribe of Khuza'a at night while they were
at one of their wells and killed many of them. Some men from
Quraish had assisted Banu-Bikr in their attack with weapons
and men. Those men of Khuza'a who escaped fled to the
sanctity of holy masjid (mosque) in Makkah (wherein the
Kaaba resides). Once they were inside the holy masjid, the
men of Banu-Bikr said: "They have entered the sanctity of
the holy mosque. Your Lord! Your Lord!." Some of the
party responded: "There is no Lord today! If you allow
them to escape from you now then you shall never again find
such a chance as this."

Amr ibn Salim of the tribe of Khuza'a immediately went to
the messenger of Allah (pbuh) and recited before him some
verses of poetry wherein he called upon him to uphold the
pact between the Muslims and Khuza'a. Muhammad (pbuh)
replied: "Receive our aid [then] O Amr the son of
Salim!."

Muslims are commanded in the Qur'an to verify all claims
before acting upon them lest they inflict retribution upon
an innocent unjustly. For this reason, Muhammad (pbuh) sent
a messenger named Dhamrah to Quraish to verify this news and
to give them notice. This messenger was told to give them a
choice between three matters:

1) Either pay the "Diya" (Blood money) incumbent upon all
murderers towards their victims, or

2) To renounce the treaty between Quraish and the group
of men who had perpetrated this act, and they were the men
of "Nufasa" of the tribe of Banu-Bikr, or

3) For Quraish to "throw back" (annul) the treaty between
the Muslims and Quraish.

The Qur'an says:

"If you fear treachery from any people throw back
[their covenant] to them [so as to be] on
equal terms. Certainly, Allah likes not the treacherous"

The noble Qur'an, Al-Anfal(8):58

Quraish chose the third alternative and chose to annul
the treaty. However, soon after the messenger of Muhammad
(pbuh) had departed, the nobles of Quraish regretted their
annulment of the treaty and feared the consequences of this
act. So they sent one of their most respected nobles,
Abu-Sufyan, in person to renew the treaty and to increase in
it's term, however, Muhammad (pbuh) refused to meet with him
and he returned to Quraish empty handed.

Muhammad (pbuh) prepared himself and the Muslims to march
upon Makkah. At first he kept their objective a secret.
However, before their departure for Makkah he informed them
of their goal. As he did this he supplicated to God: "O
my Lord, bar the spies and the news from Quraish so that we
might surprise them in their land."

Hatib ibn Abi Balta'a was a Muslim in Yethrib who had kin
in Makkah. When he learned of Muhammad's intent he wrote a
letter of warning to Quraish and paid a woman to deliver it
to Quraish with great urgency.

No sooner had this woman set out than angel Gabriel came
to Muhammad (pbuh) informing him of what Hatib had done. So
he sent Ali ibn Abi-Talib and Al-Zubair ibn Al-Awwam to
retrieve it before she reached Quraish. Ali and Al-Zubair
set out on their horses in great haste and caught up with
her before she reached Makkah. They then ordered her to get
down off of her camel and asked her to hand over the letter.
She replied that she had no letter, so they searched her
belongings thoroughly but did not find the message. At this
point Ali said: "I swear by Allah that the messenger of
Allah did not lie nor have we lied! You shall hand over the
letter or we shall strip you [till we find
it]!." When she saw their resolve she told them to
turn away. When they did so she removed it from her braids
and handed it over to them.

Muhammad (pbuh) sent for Hatib and when he arrived he
said: "Do not judge me in haste O messenger of Allah. By
Allah, I believe in Allah and His messenger and I have not
renounced my belief, however, I was a man of no clan in
Quraish, and I have among them family, kin, and children.
Further, I have no clan among them to protect my family. But
those who are with you have clans [with Quraish] to
protect [their families]. So I hoped in the absence
of that that I might gain their good will in protecting my
family."

When Umar ibn Al-Khattab heard these words he said:
"Allow me to strike his neck O messenger of Allah, for he
has betrayed Allah and His messenger and has
apostatized!." Muhammad turned to Umar and said: "He
has attended Badr. And how do you know O Umar?, perhaps
Allah gazed upon the people of Badr and said to them: 'Do as
you will for I have forgiven you [all]'" When
Umar heard these words he wept bitterly and said: "God
and His messenger know best."

Eight and a half years after the emigration, in the month
of Ramadan, Muhammad (pbuh) departed Al-Madinah with ten
thousand Muslims and rode towards Makkah. When they reached
"Mar Al-Dhahran" they stopped and set up camp. Allah had
answered Muhammad's prayer and had kept the news from
Quraish. All that they knew was that the treaty had been
nullified and they had not yet received news of Muhammad's
intentions.

On the way to Makkah, Muhammad's cousin Abu-Sufyan ibn
Al-Harith ibn AbdulMuttalib, met him. Muhammad refused to
speak to him due to his past abuse and animosity. Finally,
Abu-Sufyan gave up trying to speak to him and went to Ali
complaining of his situation and asking for his advice.

Ali advised Abu-Sufyan to go and stand directly in front
of Muhammad (pbuh) and then say to him the words of the
brothers of Joseph to Joseph:

"By Allah, verily Allah has preferred you above us,
and we were indeed among the sinners."

The noble Qur'an, Yousuf(12):91

Ali Explained: "For Muhammad (pbuh) does not love for
someone to be better in speech than him (and in all good
conduct in general)."

Abu-Sufyan went to Muhammad (pbuh) as he was instructed,
stood directly before him and recited this verse. When he
did so, Muhammad gazed upon him and responded with the verse
directly following it:

"No blame shall be [cast] upon you today. May
God forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who
show mercy!."

The noble Qur'an, Yousuf(12):92.

Abu-Sufyan embraced Islam and from that day forward never
again did he gaze upon Muhammad (pbuh) directly, out of
shame for his previous actions* .

Before entering into Makkah, Muhammad (pbuh) did his
utmost to ensure the safety of everyone in Makkah save those
who explicitly refused it. Muhammad addressed the Muslims
before they rode into Makkah saying: "He who enters into
Abu-Sufyan's home shall be given sanctuary. And he who
closes his door shall be given sanctuary. And he who enters
the holy masjid shall be given sanctuary" Muhammad then
severely cautioned all Muslims against raising their weapons
against anyone who did not attack them first. He also
severely cautioned them against taking their money,
property, or homes, and to not lay their hands upon the
citizens.

It is recorded that Muhammad (pbuh) entered Makkah on the
Friday the 20th of Ramadan (ninth lunar month) in the eighth
year after the emigration. Muhammad (pbuh) directed Al-Abbas
to sit Abu-Sufyan somewhere in the city where he shall see
the passing of the Muslim army. As the tribes of the Muslims
would pass by holding their flags, Abu-Sufyan would ask
Al-Abbas "Who is this group?," and Al-Abbas would
tell him, until finally Muhammad (pbuh) passed by in the
"green" brigade clad in their chain-mail coats and their
armor, extending as far as the eye could see. Abu-Sufyan
exclaimed "My Lord! who are these?" Al-Abbas
replied: "This is the messenger of Allah with the
Muhajereen and the Ansar." Abu-Sufyan said: "No force
shall ever resist such as these! By Allah O Abbas, the
dominion of your nephew (Muhammad) has become immense indeed
on this day!" Al-Abbas replied: "It is the
prophethood" Abu-Sufyan replied: "How admirable it
is!"

As the Muslims entered into Makkah victorious, Muhammad
bowed his head down low in humility to God who had bestowed
upon him this bloodless triumph. So low did he lower his
head in humility and submission that his beard nearly
touched his camel's back. As he was in this state he recited
the chapter of Al-Fath(48):

"Verily, We have given you [O Muhammad] a
manifest victory, that Allah may forgive you your sins of
the past and the future, complete his favor upon you, and
guide you on the straight path..." up to the end of
the chapter.

As Muhammad and his army strode through the heart of
Makkah, the capital of Arabia and it's political and
spiritual center, he did so in all peace, humbleness, and
justice. A man spoke to him on the that day, trembling with
fear. As he did so, Muhammad (pbuh) consoled him saying:
"Calm yourself, for I am not a king. I am but the son of a
woman from Quraish who eats 'jerked' meat."

As Saad ibn Obadah (one of the leaders of the Ansar)
passed by Abu-Sufyan, he called unto him saying: "Today
is the day of the great poems (immortalizing this day).
Today that which is unlawful is made lawful. Today Allah has
dishonored Quraish." When Muhammad (pbuh) passed by
Abu-Sufyan he complained to him of what Saad had said to
him. Muhammad disliked what he heard and responded:
"Rather, today is the day of mercy. Today Allah shall
honor Quraish, and shall honor the Kaaba!" Muhammad
(pbuh) then commanded that the banner be taken from Saad and
given to his son Kais.

Some small scuffles ensued as a few men from Quraish
attempted to attack some of the Muslims and put up a token
resistance, however, they were quickly quelled. It is
recorded that only twelve people were injured in the opening
of Makkah.

Muhammad (pbuh) entered into the holy masjid and circled
around the Kaaba with his bow in hand. As he did so, he
would poke the 360 idols which had been placed around it
with his bow and recite:

Muhammad (pbuh) then commanded that all idols and statues
be removed from the Kaaba and destroyed.

Muhammad (pbuh) then stood in the door of the Kaaba. The
people had collected below him and had filled the masjid,
row upon row, waiting for him to issue his decree regarding
their fate. Finally he spoke and said:

"There is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, no
partners has He. He has fulfilled His promise, given victory
to his servant, and defeated the confederates by His own
Self. [I declare that] every glory, money, or blood
has been placed under these, my two feet, except for the
"sidanah" (custodianship of the Kaaba), and "siqaya"
(watering of the pilgrims)*... O people of Quraish, I
relieve you of the false pride of the age of ignorance, and
it's pride in it's ancestry. Mankind is from Adam, and Adam
was from dust."

He then recited: "O Mankind, We have created you from
a male and a female and made you nations and tribes that you
may know each other. Verily the noblest among you in the
sight of Allah is the most God-fearing among you. Verily,
Allah is all-knowing, All-Aware" (The noble Qur'an,
AlHujurat(49):13)

Muhammad (pbuh) then asked the people: "O people of
Quraish. What do you imagine that I shall do with you?."
The people reflected on their twenty one years (13+8) of
abuse and open warfare against Muhammad and the Muslims and
feared the worst. However, they were completely and utterly
at his mercy now and could only respond: "[We hope it
shall be] Goodness. [You are] a noble brother,
the son of a noble brother" Muhammad (pbuh) replied to
them: "Go, for you are [all] free!." He then
descended, purified himself and then prayed eight "raka"
(cycles) to God.

Muhammad (pbuh) then commanded Bilal the Ethiopian to
perform the "adhan" (call to prayer) from the center of the
holy masjid. From that day forward, the inhabitants of
Arabia began to enter into Islam in droves, wave after wave.
Islam had finally succeeded in eradicating paganism from the
heart of Arabia, from Makkah.

Makkah was, and is to this day, the capital of Islam in
the world. It is the home of the Kaaba, the birthplace of
the message of Islam, and the birthplace of Muhammad (pbuh)
himself. When Muhammad (pbuh) was finally blessed with the
opening of Makkah the Muslims of Al-Madinah (the Ansar)
feared that he would leave them and return to his hometown.
However, out of loyalty to the Ansar for all they had done
and sacrificed for Islam, Muhammad chose to return with them
and live in Al-Madinah.

Over the next two years (the eighth and ninth years after
the emigration), many more treaties were written, many more
battles were fought, many nations sent their messengers to
Muhammad (pbuh), and many more letters were sent to
neighboring nations. The requirements of Islam were finally
completed with the introduction of the fifth and final
pillar of Islam, that of Hajj (pilgrimage).

The Pilgrimage:

The tenth year after the emigration was the year when
Hajj (major pilgrimage) was revealed as the final
requirement of the Islamic religion. In the eleventh month
of the tenth year after the emigration, Muhammad (pbuh)
informed the Muslims that Hajj had been prescribed upon all
Muslims who had the means to perform it. The news spread
quickly to the Muslims of the neighboring lands that
Muhammad intended to perform pilgrimage and as he set out
for Makkah, many more delegations of Muslims joined up with
him along the way. The Hajj was one of the best recorded and
documented events of the Islamic message during the lifetime
of Muhammad (pbuh). Countless Muslims recorded it in great
detail, all the way down to the minutest aspect and nuance.
The interested reader my seek any of the countless
references that deal with this topic.

During this pilgrimage, Muhammad (pbuh) delivered his
famous speech. On the day of Arafa, at the beginning of the
Hajj Muhammad (pbuh) stood before them and delivered a
lengthy sermon. At the end of this sermon he said:

"... I have left among you that which you shall never
be lead astray if you adhere to it; the Book of Allah.
[Verily] you shall be asked about me [on the Day
of Resurrection], so what will you say?."

They replied: "We will bear witness that you have
conveyed the message, discharged the ministry of Prophethood
and given wise and sincere counsel."

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) then raised his forefinger
towards the sky and then pointing it at the people said:
"O Allah, bear witness. O Allah bear witness," saying
it thrice. Bilal then pronounced Adhan and later on Iqamah
(calls to prayer) and then Muhammad (pbuh) led the noon
prayer.

Just prior to the end of the Hajj, in the days of
"Tashreeq", Muhammad (pbuh) again addressed the people and
said:

"Verily your blood, your property, and your honor are
as sacred and inviolable as the sacredness of this day of
yours, in this month of yours, in this town of yours until
the day you meet Him. Hear what I say now that you may live!
Do not commit injustice! Do not commit injustice! Do not
commit injustice! Verily, the wealth of a Muslim shall never
be justified except with his good will. Verily, every blood
or property or pride is under my feet (completely abolished)
until the day of judgment. The first blood-claim which I
abolish is that of the son of Rabi'ah ibn al-Harith, who was
nursed among the tribe of Sa'ad and killed by Huthayl. And
Allah, the Mighty, the Supreme, has ordained that the first
usury to be abolished is that of [my uncle] Abbas
ibn AbdulMuttalib. The 'principle' of your money (without
usury) is lawful for you. Do not deal unjustly and do not be
dealt with unjustly. Verily, time has made a complete cycle
[and returned] to it's condition when Allah created
the heavens and the earth."

He then recited: "Verily! the number of the months
with Allah is twelve months. So was it ordained by Allah on
the day when He created the heavens and the earth. Of them,
four are sacred: that is the right religion. So wrong not
yourselves therein."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Tawba(9):36

He continued: "Do not return after me disbelievers;
some among you striking the necks of others. Verily, the
Devil has lost hope that the worshipers shall worship him,
but he [shall continue to] seek animosity between
you..."

The Death of Muhammad (pbuh)Muhammad, Death
of:

After the Hajj in the tenth year, the following verse was
revealed:

"This day I (God) have perfected your religion for
you, completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for
you Islam as your religion"

The Qur'an, Al-Maida(5):3

Allah also said:

"You are the best people sent out to mankind. You
instruct that which is good and dissuade from that which is
evil and you believe in God."

The noble Qur'an, A'al-Umran(3):111.

Allah also took it upon Himself to personally preserve
this religion (by preserving the book). He said:

"Verily, It is We who have sent down 'the Reminder'
(the Qur'an), and it is We who shall preserve it"

The noble Qur'an, Al-Hijr(15):9

It was at this time that the following chapter was
revealed:

"When comes unto you (O Muhammad) the aid of Allah,
and the conquest (of Makkah), and you saw the people enter
into the religion in waves, then glorify the praises of your
Lord, and ask His forgiveness. Verily, He is the one who
accepts the repentance and forgives."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Nasr(110)

When the companions of Muhammad (pbuh) heard this chapter
being recited they understood that the prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) would not be with them much longer and their hearts
began to weigh heavy with the thought of losing him. In this
final year of Muhammad's life, he redoubled his efforts in
worship, in the praise of his Lord, and in the recitation of
the Qur'an in preparation for his final journey. The illness
which finally claimed the life of the messenger of Allah
began in the second month of the eleventh year after the
emigration.

Muhammad (pbuh) had taught his followers that Allah is
Just. He repays goodness with goodness and exacts
retribution for evil. However, he also is Merciful. He
multiplies all good deeds from ten to many hundreds of times
and He counts an evil deed as a single evil deed or He
forgives it.

Of the ways that Muhammad (pbuh) taught us that Allah
bestows His mercy upon us is that He occasionally ordains
upon us trials in this life. The evil among mankind lose
hope when inflicted with such trials and engross themselves
in further evil. The faithful among them, however, are
blessed by this trial. That is because they accept the trial
and seek it's reward. The reward is then either bestowed
upon them in this life or in the hereafter. Trials are also
inflicted upon mankind to erase their sins or to multiply
their reward so that on the day of judgment when they are
presented with the reward of their perseverance and
compliance, they would wish that they had been inflicted
with a thousand such trials.

Similarly, when Muhammad (pbuh) was stricken with this
illness, it ravaged him and sapped his strength. He would
tie a piece of cloth around his head in order to reduce the
severity of the migraines that would afflict him, and when
he wished to move about he would lean upon the shoulders of
two men as they guided him to his destination. This
continued for a little over a month until he finally passed
away in the third month of the eleventh year after the
emigration.

As Muhammad (pbuh) was on his death bed he asked his wife
Aisha: "O Aisha, what news of the gold?" (what money
do we posses?). She came to him with between five and nine
pieces which were all they owned. As he overturned them in
his hand he said: "What shall Muhammad say if he met his
Lord and these are in his possession? Dispose of them [O
Aisha]! (in charity)"

After leading the Muslims for the last time in prayer,
Muhammad sat upon the "minbar" in the masjid and delivered
the "sermon of parting." Among his words in this speech he
said:

"Allah gave a choice to one of [His] slaves
either to choose this world or what is with Him in the
hereafter. He chose the latter."

Abu-Bakr understood the meaning of these words and began
to weep bitterly, saying: "Rather, we would sacrifice
ourselves and our children for you O messenger of
Allah." The Prophet (pbuh) said: "O Abu-Bakr! Don't
weep. There is none among mankind more beloved to me in his
self and his money than Abu-Bakr. And were I to take a
confidant in this life I would have taken Abu-Bakr as my
confidant. However, the confidence of Islam is better."
He then commanded that all doors into the masjid be closed
except the door of Abu-Bakr. When Muhammad (pbuh) became too
ill to lead the daily prayers, he commanded that Abu-Bakr
assume this responsibility.

Aisha the wife of Muhammad (pbuh) narrated "The
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace
[once] said, 'No prophet dies until he is given the
choice (between being a king on earth or receiving the
reward of the hereafter).'" She continued,
"[While on his death bed] I heard him say,
'[Rather] In the highest company. In the highest
company' and I knew that he was departing." (Narrated in
the Muwatta by Malik)

On the day of Muhammad's passing, he pulled back the
curtain between his room and the masjid and watched the
Muslims as they followed Abu-Bakr in prayer. He was pleased
with this sight and with having lived to see his followers
upholding the religion and devoted to their prayer. He
smiled as he watched them. The Muslims saw him as he peered
through the curtain at them and joy began to overcome their
hearts. He looked so much healthier than they had come to
expect, perhaps he had been cured? Muhammad (pbuh) gestured
to them to continue their prayers and he drew the curtain
closed again. It was not long after that he passed away.

The last verse of the Qur'an revealed by Muhammad (pbuh)
was:

"And guard yourselves against a day when you shall be
returned to your Lord, then every soul shall be paid in full
that which it earned and they shall not be wronged."

The noble Qur'an, Al-Baqarah(2):281

The last words uttered by Muhammad (pbuh) before his
death were a warning to his followers against their taking
his grave as a place of worship. He then advised the Muslims
to attend to their prayers, their charity, and that which
their right hands do possess (do well by their slaves).
Muhammad was sixty three years old when he passed away,
having spent exactly twenty three years in the call to
Islam, the belief in one God, and the eradication of all
false gods other than He.

Shortly after Muhammad (pbuh) passed away, Abu-Bakr was
elected the first "Khalifa" (Caliph) in Islam. He ruled them
until his death and then he was followed by Umar ibn
Al-Khattab, then Uthman ibn Affan, then Ali ibn Abi-Talib.
These four were later named the four "Rightly Guided
Caliphs." Jerusalem was opened by Umar in the year 641
during the period of his rule. He entered into it riding
upon a donkey, thus fulfilling the prophesy of Zachariah 9:9
(please see point 43 in the table of section 2.2).

After the Muslims captured Jerusalem the Jews and
Christians were not forced to convert but were allowed to
continue their worship and pilgrimage freely. As a supreme
example of the tolerance all Muslims are commanded for the
religious practices of others, when Caliph Umar received the
keys to Jerusalem from the patriarch Sophronius in the 7th
century he was then asked to pray in a Jerusalem church, he
refused saying he did not want to provide a pretext for
Muslims to appropriate a Christian holy site. During Caliph
Umar's rule the mighty Sassanian (Persian) dynasty too fell
before the Muslims.

Abu-Hurayra said: I heard Allah's Messenger (pbuh)
saying:

"My example and the example of the people is that of a
man who lit a fire, and when it was lit, the things around
it, moths and other insects started falling into the fire.
The man tried [his best] to prevent them, [from
falling in the fire] but they overpowered him and rushed
into the fire." The Prophet (pbuh) added: "Now, similarly, I
am grasping your belts to prevent you from falling into the
Fire, but you insist on plunging into it." (narrated by
Al-Bukhari)

For those who would like to learn more about the life of
Muhammad and Islam, you are encouraged to read the
books: